


The Lost Prince of Kalinda

by TuppingLiberty



Series: Tupping Liberty's prompt ficlet series [11]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety Disorder, Assassination Attempt(s), Baking, Blow Jobs, Cuddling & Snuggling, Demisexual Finn, Demisexuality, Eavesdropping, Everything is Better with Milk and Cookies, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Finn and Poe are both nerds, Finn is a BAMF, First Kiss, First Time, Flirting While Accounting, Government Conspiracy, Hand Jobs, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Medication, Minor Injuries, Mutual Pining, Panic Attacks, Pining, Poe Dameron Hurts So Prettily, Political Intrigue, RPG campaign, Rotating POV, San Diego, Self-Care Routine, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Slow Dancing, Tabletop Gaming, Tupping Liberty Trademark Relationship Talks, Yoga, but we knew that already, competent!Finn, not-so-fake relationship, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2016-11-26
Packaged: 2018-08-28 00:54:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 34,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8424343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuppingLiberty/pseuds/TuppingLiberty
Summary: Finn’s face showed full-on relief. “I don’t know how to thank you.”“Let me put up a sign out front that says ‘the prince of Kalinda ate here!’? Too soon?” Poe smiled as Finn laughed a little. Finn's your average forensic accountant by day, tabletop gamer by night. Poe's a baker and game shop owner with a mysterious past. They're friends, they've got great friends, and they've both managed to carve out a nice, quiet life for themselves in San Diego. Then, a stranger delivers some shocking news to Finn, and their lives are changed forever. Turns out, Finn's a legend - the Lost Prince of Kalinda, to be exact. Poe's quick agreement to pose as Finn's boyfriend, and bodyguard, leaves their lives - and hearts - in danger.Release note: I will be releasing chapters of this fic every other day.Rating note: Chapters 13, 14 and 16 contain E rated scenes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [StarMaple](https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarMaple/gifts).



> Special shout out to @telekinetic-hedgehog, @leftwinglibrarian, @stardusteddameron, @pleasecallmesurely, and @tenderstatue, for providing me feedback at various stages of development! Also, shout out to @starwarswritingalliance, without their Sunday write-ins, I'd...probably still be writing as much, but I'd be way lonelier doing it.
> 
> To @bakingstreetsarah: Your comments got me through the long winter months....I mean my first grad class. Thank you. I hope you enjoy this. :)

Finn’s lightsaber ignited, blue light flooding into the cave, making the shadows darker even as it illuminated the planes of his face. Beside him, Rey and Snap pulled out their own weapons, as Kare began to chant and rub her hands together in preparation for the battle.

In the darkness, Finn heard skittering limbs among an awful chittering...something bug-like, then, he thought. “I hate bugs,” he muttered, moving easily into battle stance.

The first creepy-crawly, housed in a shiny black carapace, darted forward into the blue light. The creature was the size of a small cat, and it sounded like it had about five hundred companions. It also had massive pincers, snapping together, and Finn knew one bite could sever an artery. “Why'd it have to be bugs?”

Kare snorted even as Poe rolled his eyes and told him, “Okay, Indiana Jones. You need to fight the bugs in order to get to the door they're blocking. Roll for initiative.”

Around the table at Poe’s Place, the tabletop RPG group consisting of Finn, Rey, Snap, and Kare all rolled their dice. Snap groaned at his roll of a one.

Finn nudged him with his elbow. “Dude, you better roll less-shitty than that during the fight or we’re getting someone to ritually cleanse your dice.” He shook some Nerds, his favorite campaign treat both because he enjoyed the pun of a nerd eating Nerds, and because he liked the sweet-tart combination, into his palm and popped them in his mouth.

Rey nodded. “Especially after that incident in the canyon.”

“Hey, we survived,” Snap said defensively, despite the fact that he'd spent most of the canyon campaign also complaining about his shitty luck.

“Barely,” intoned Kare.

“Finn, you're first, but before you go, sugar me.” Poe cut evenly through the chatter and teasing even as he held out his hand for some Nerds and Finn complied, shaking some into his hand. It was one of the things that made him a great GM, although personally Finn preferred when Poe played with him through a campaign. Poe's creativity lended itself well to playing as well as leading. “What would you like to do?”

“Can I tell how many bugs we're facing?”

“Roll for a perception check.”

Finn rolled, adding up his bonuses. “15.”

Poe grinned. “Oh yeah, that's good enough. Okay, your elven eyes are good enough to see a seemingly endless horde of the black beetles. You can see, however, one larger bug, in the middle of the swarm.”

“Is the bigger bug directing the smaller ones?

“You are unable to determine that.”

Finn exchanged a look with the rest of the table. “So, bigger bug first, then. I’m going to charge and attack the big bug.”

Finn had been coming to Poe’s Place since it had opened over five years ago. Originally just a coffee shop with amazing home baked goods, Poe, the proprietor, in his second year, had managed to snag the business of a major nerd and geek newschannel for their San Diego Comicon off-site headquarters. When Comicon left, Poe had begun gradually expanding hours as money allowed, to include trivia nights and tabletop gaming sessions. It filled a niche for their neighborhood: by day a normal coffee shop, and by night, a nerd hangout like none other.

The tabletop RPG party that Poe ran was currently in the rentable back room of the coffee shop. Though it mostly got rented for daytime meetings, RPG night was religiously kept clear on the schedule. And the con business had kept coming, putting Poe’s Place on the map.

Their campaign group had formed over months of meeting each other through the game nights - though attendance at the nights varied weekly, Finn, Snap, Kare, and Rey were all regulars, and had organically started hanging out together, even though they all came from different backgrounds. Snap was a pilot for a local sky-diving operation. Kare was a high school English teacher. Rey managed a mechanic shop, and sometimes got dirty herself, fixing cars. And Finn, well, Finn was an accountant. A forensic accountant, to be specific. Numbers spoke to him. He required glasses to read. He’d grown up borrowing all of the comic books he could get his hands on from the library. He had been diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder that often manifested in social situations. He was, he always thought self-consciously, the nerdiest nerd of the whole group, it seemed like. Finn had been sort of embarrassed to realize that Rey even lived in the same apartment complex as him, and yet he’d never even noticed her, because he tended to spend most of his time being caught up in his own world. But since becoming part of the campaign group, he felt better about who he was. Their easy acceptance made him feel better.

“The swarm has sort of surrounded you, Kare. All you can see is black, all you can hear is buzzing. They attack for-” Poe broke off to roll his dice. “Fuck. Welp, they attack for one damage. C’mon, Dameron.”

Kare grinned and marked it on her sheet. “I cast arcane explosion to get those fuckers off me.”

As she prepared to roll, the door opened and Jess stuck her blue-spikey-tipped head in. “Everyone’s cleared out, boss. Front is locked and lights are out. Oh, we ran out of chocolate chip cookies.”

“Thanks, Jess. I’ll put it on the list.” Poe typed out a reminder on his phone. “See you tomorrow.”

“You got it.” Jess worked her way around the table, giving first Rey, then Kare a brief kiss on the mouth. “My place tonight?” The women nodded.

Finn wasn’t the only one who’d found companionship of some sort at Poe’s Place. He looked across the table at the curly-haired baker-cum-nerd. For some reason, Jess’s casual intimacy with her girlfriends made something pang inside of him.  

They finished up the evening soon after, Poe leaving them on a suitable cliffhanger for next Wednesday. As was his ritual, Finn stayed as Poe made sure everything was locked, and Finn walked his bike to wherever Poe had managed to snag a parking spot, depending on how early he'd gotten to the shop because of how much baking he’d had to do that morning.

“I heard someone reported a clown over on Third two nights ago,” Poe said as they reached his classic black Camaro, BLK 1. Finn got the impression that Poe skimped on everything else in his life so he could keep BLK 1 in perfect running condition. It was how Poe had met Rey, in fact. She hadn’t let up until he’d let her take the wheel. “Sure you don’t want a ride home?”

“Yeah, story from a friend of a friend of a friend, right? I’m more worried about real threats, sorry.”

Poe smiled at him. “Text me so I know you made it safe, anyway?”

At little bit of that loneliness that had crept inside him earlier was eased. “Yeah, I can do that. See you soon, Poe.”

“G’night.”

Finn got home perfectly fine, and sent off a text to Poe saying so. He puttered around his apartment briefly, going through the nightly self-care routine that helped him settle for bed, before falling face-first into the mattress and sliding blissfully into sleep.

The next morning began as a normal Thursday. He didn’t swing by the coffee shop; that was his treat for Fridays. But someone at work had brought donuts, so that was an added bonus. Finn grabbed a maple-bacon bar, promising himself he’d go on a bike ride later, and started working through his to-do list for the day.

He was elbow deep in checking balances for a client when his boss entered his cubicle. Finn held up a finger, finished a row, then turned to Steve, sliding his glasses off so his boss would come into focus. “Thanks. I would have hated to start over.” Though the gesture hadn’t been strictly respectful, Finn was their best numbers man, and Steve knew it. He grudgingly took what Finn gave him.

“You have visitors in conference room A. I think they’re clients, although Linda didn’t manage to pry their business from them before she showed them to the room. One of ‘em is big money, I’m sure. The other two I’d peg for bodyguards.” Steve frowned. “And they’ll only talk to you.” It wasn’t typical for Finn to speak directly to clients, especially alone. Finn definitely preferred numbers to people.

When he made his way to conference room A, through the glass windows he identified the muscle, first. Muscle One was standing by the door, glaring at Finn as he walked in, and Muscle Two was seated directly by what must obviously be The Money.

“How can I be of service?” Finn asked politely after he angled past Muscle One.

The Money looked at him intensely, a head to toe examination. “You are Finn Johnson?” The Money had a faint accent, just noticeable enough to tell that English hadn’t been his first language. He also looked like he already knew who Finn was.

“Yeah,” Finn confirmed, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

“I have something that I need to tell you.”


	2. Pa-paparazzi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn shares his news with Poe, who helps him stop (understandably) freaking out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got to be at school until like 8 tonight (hmm, where am I going to get my 20 minutes for nanowrimo lite in? Way to start of great, animala) so you get this super early! Thank you for all of the lovely comments...I'll see you Thursday!

It was the slow time of day for the shop. The lunch rush had just passed, and they’d be closing in half an hour anyway, since Poe closed early on Thursdays to prep for incoming con business for the weekend. He’d sent Jess home already, preferring to work through the list of food prep with just himself and a little Van Halen. She’d done the cleaning and condiment refilling before she’d left, so Poe was leaning against the counter, making a list of specials for the next week so that he could make a shopping list, when Finn walked in and his heart skipped a beat like it always did.

It wasn’t the usual time of day for his favorite regular - not that Finn was just a customer, he reflected, but someone he’d come to consider a good friend. Finn normally came in for game nights and Friday mornings, like clockwork. Poe stood at attention, realized what he was doing, and attempted to look casual again. The moment he stopped worrying about what he looked like, he realized Finn was sweating and looking faintly nauseated. “Hey, Finn, you okay? Um...lunch special was that chicken soup from Emmett’s, you want a cup?”

Finn glanced nervously back to the open windows and wiped his forehead. “No, I don’t think I can stomach anything right now.” He pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket, slid them on, and tried to pull his shirt collar up, looking desperate and anxious.

Poe knew Finn had Generalized Anxiety Disorder, because it had come up over soup one day, but he’d never seen it affect Finn until now.

“Whoa, buddy, everything’s going to be okay.” Poe stepped out from behind the counter, peering at Finn’s face and deciding that he was definitely  _ not _ okay. It didn’t take a genius to see that Finn was in the middle of a panic attack, and besides, Poe had seen them enough in his time in the military. A glance to the street showed nothing out of the ordinary, but all of his instincts were telling him that Finn was running from something. “You want to come to the back?” At Finn’s desperate nod, he took one of Finn’s hands and led him back to the kitchen, flipping over a crate and sitting Finn down on it. Finn buried his face in his hands, shaking. “I’ll be right back, okay Finn? I’m just going to go lock up early so no one can get in.” It was, apparently, the right thing to say, because Poe watched Finn’s shoulders relax slightly.

Back at the front of the shop, the situation had changed in just the bare minute since he’d been there. There was a crowd of people with cameras - Poe recognized them easily as a crowd of paparazzi - peering into his shop, and the other shops along the street, obviously looking for someone. Looking for Finn? Why would the paparazzi be looking for Finn? He gave them a little wave, then went to the door, opening it and calling out into the crowd, “Hey, you guys want to hear the specials?”

The offer of commerce worked to make the crowd grumble and walk away, sure that their prey must not be inside, and they moved down the street like a zombie horde. Poe smirked, then turned his sign to Closed and locked the door. He hadn’t spent all that time in Special Ops to not to be able to pull off a redirect.

When he got back to the kitchen, Finn was leaning against the counter, holding a glass of water against his forehead, and he’d removed the sunglasses. The vestiges of panic were still in his eyes, but he wasn’t shaking anymore. “Is the worst over?”

Finn nodded, then shook his head, then shrugged. “I haven’t had a full-on attack in so long...I’d been doing so well. Don’t have my emergency meds on me. Would be better if I could have one. But the worst is over, I think? Still, the aftermath is godawful. I’ll be alternating between panic spikes and drowsiness for hours.”

Poe knew he couldn’t truly understand, but nodded anyway. “Do you mind if I ask what led to you being chased by the camera vultures?” He cracked open a plastic container of snickerdoodles - homemade, of course, and one of his specialties - and offered one to Finn before snagging one for himself.

Finn took a bite of the cookie slowly, meditatively. He looked away from Poe. “You know how...I told you I grew up in an orphanage?”

Poe frowned in concern. Finn had been fairly open and nonchalant about his past, but right now, he sounded vulnerable, and Poe went on alert. “Yeah, buddy.”

“Someone showed up at work just now. Claiming to be my brother.”

Poe felt immediately protective of Finn. In the years he’d come to know Finn, he knew to the very depths of his soul that Finn didn’t deserve anything but happiness. “Did he come asking for something? Money? A kidney? What’s his angle?” He knew he’d slid into a defensive posture, and tried to make himself relax. 

Finn met his eyes, and Poe was struck by how ravaged they looked. “That was my first thought too. Does that make us bad people?”

“Hold that thought.” Poe held up a finger, then stepped into the walk-in, grabbing a carton of milk. Back outside, he poured two short glasses. “Whatever this fucking is, everything is better with milk and cookies.” He scooted one of the glasses to Finn, who smiled at him, though his eyes were still shadowed. “Okay, to answer your previous question, no, that doesn’t make us bad people. That makes us cautious people. You don’t just stick your hand in fire knowingly, right?”

Finn nodded, taking a little sip of milk. “So, he claims to be my brother. Which is fine, I guess? I mean, if it was just that. We can do DNA tests to prove it. It would be nice not to be alone in the world.”

_ You’re not alone _ , Poe thought, but said, “‘If it was just that’?”

“My brother is the king of Kalinda.”

“ _ What. _ ”

Finn’s laugh was a little hysterical. “This guy. He showed up with bodyguards and...and someone else at the office must have called the paparazzi or they followed him there or something, because as soon as I left the building they were bombarding me with questions about being the long-lost prince of Kalinda and taking my picture and he was calling to me and-” Finn was beginning to hyperventilate, so Poe pushed him back down onto the crate and lowered his head between his legs, rubbing Finn’s back. 

“Breathe for me, buddy.” He counted the breaths in and out, letting Finn up when he was satisfied the man was breathing normally again. Finn’s eyes looked desperate and tired on Poe’s.  _ No fucking wonder. _ He gave Finn’s back one last caress before getting to his feet again. He walked into the pantry, pushing aside a large tub of flour and grabbing the bottle of vodka he kept for pie crusts - and emergencies.

“I was wrong,” Poe muttered as he poured alcohol into two ramekins. “Not  _ every _ situation can be made better with milk and cookies. Sometimes we need something stronger.” He passed Finn one of the shots and knocked back his own. He grimaced and tipped his head back down to see Finn still holding the ramekin. 

“Sorry, I- I shouldn’t. With my meds…”

“Oh, shit, right, sorry.” Poe took the ramekin from him and moved it away, then pulled up his own crate and sat beside Finn.

“I lost the paparazzi in the antique mall, then flew over here.”

Poe tried not to be pleased that Finn’s first reaction to distress was to come find him. It probably meant nothing. “Did this guy...your brother...offer you proof?”

“He said they’d been searching for me for a long time. That my blood was flagged from that genetic testing I had done a few months ago, when my doctor was trying to help me determine some of my medical history?”

Finn’s hand was tapping nervously at his thigh, and Poe took it in his, massaging his fingers. “Did he ask you to do something?”

Finn let out a deep breath. “He wants me to come back with him. Meet my...family.” Finn sounded as if he had a hard time forcing the word out. His stricken eyes met Poe’s. “Poe, I think he  _ expects _ something from me. I don’t know anything about Kalindan politics-”

Poe snorted. “What American does? Don’t beat yourself up about that.”

“He mentioned something about securing his place on the throne.” Poe narrowed his eyes and Finn continued. “I’m his  _ older _ brother. If I wanted...I could dethrone him.” Finn clutched at his stomach. “Jesus Christ, normal life gives me enough anxiety, how the fuck would I run a country?”

“So maybe I’ve watched too much  _ Game of Thrones _ , but your brother must be in a pretty precarious situation since an older heir to the throne exists. I bet he was hoping he could get away with a quick, unfruitful search to cement his claim.”

“I think I’m going to throw up.”

Quickly, Poe pulled over the trash can and leaned Finn’s head between his legs again, counting out breaths and steadily rubbing his back. The throw up never came, and Finn sat up again, still looking miserable. “So your brother wants you to come back and basically assure his people that you don’t want to be king.”

“Wouldn’t staying here, now that the world knows I’m the prince, accomplish the same thing? I obviously don’t want to be the king if I’m working as an accountant in California.”

“Do you want to go to Kalinda?”

“I don’t know,” Finn responded unhappily. “All I want to do is bury my head in the sand, honestly. Go home and build a nest of blankets and pretend today never happened.”

“We can do that, too,” Poe assured him, squeezing his thigh. 

Suddenly, Finn gasped, casting stricken eyes at Poe. “What if they know where I live?”

“Your brother or the vultures?”

“Either? Oh, God.” Finn scrubbed his hands over his face.

“I’ve got a load of blankets, Netflix, and more milk - and cookies - at my apartment. Want to go there instead?”

Finn wiped at his eyes. “I don’t want to impose-”

“Buddy. Like you could.”

Finn’s face showed full-on relief. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“Let me put up a sign out front that says ‘the prince of Kalinda ate here!’? Too soon?” Poe smiled as Finn laughed a little. 

“How ‘bout, ‘the prince of Kalinda recommends the snickerdoodles’?” Finn offered, and Poe patted his thigh. 

“Maybe we could do one of those local commercials that are terrible and make it on @Midnight. I could get you a plastic crown from the dollar store.” Poe’s heart lightened when Finn snorted. “It’s going to be okay, Finn, no matter what happens.  _ You’re not alone _ . There’s a whole bushel of people in this town that will go to bat for you. You’ve got friends.”

This time, Finn squeezed  _ his _ thigh. “Thanks for reminding me.”


	3. Blanket Burritos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn hides out at Poe's for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting early again because I really liked receiving messages all day about comments while I was at school. Tuesday was a good day. :)

They waited until it was dark, filling the time with food prep - Finn just watching since he didn’t have a food handler’s license. They talked about anything and everything that had nothing to do with Finn’s current situation, and Finn was grateful. He watched as Poe put together cookie dough that could sit overnight in the walk-in and be baked fresh tomorrow. Poe covered the bowl of cookie dough with plastic wrap and placed it in the walk in before dusting off his hands and untying his apron.

“Think the coast is clear?” he asked Finn.

“I hope so.” Finn felt awful that he was inconveniencing Poe this way. If it weren’t for him, Poe would have probably been home hours ago, doing- well, doing whatever it was Poe did in his free time. The baker had always been friendly and open, but not very forthcoming about his personal life - or what he’d done before moving to San Diego, although Finn knew Poe had been in the military.

Poe walked through the shop, double-checking locks and pulling blinds. “I’m going to go get my car and pull it up in the alley in the back. That way you can just climb in, buddy.”

Finn nodded, then waited for Poe’s knock on the back door. When he stepped into the alley, BLK 1 was idling quietly. Poe held open the passenger door for him, offering him a little flourish along with a “Your majesty. What, too soon?”

“You dick,” Finn said, not without affection.

It was strange to discover that Poe lived just a few streets over from him, and Finn told him so.

“You want to drive by your place and see what’s what? You can always lean out of sight while I check it out,” Poe suggested.

“Let’s do it.” He gave Poe his street address.

As they rounded the corner, Finn ducked down, and Poe slowed. “It’s the big brown one on the right,” Finn whispered, as if the paparazzi - or his brother - would be able to hear him from inside the car. “Don’t go so slow!”

“I’m going slow because there’s a bunch of cars and people up ahead,” Poe whispered just as fiercely and quietly. “Stay down.”

Finn felt the car speed up a little as they moved past what had to be his apartment building.

“So unless someone else in your building is suddenly a celebrity, I think you have a vulture infestation.”

Finn groaned. “Is it safe yet?”

He felt the car turn, then saw Poe’s nod, and scooted back up into a seated position. “How am I supposed to live like that, Poe?” He felt his heartrate speed up again, and wished for all the world that his anxiety meds weren’t back in his apartment. They may as well be on the Moon, for how inaccessible they were to him now. Until he could get his hands on them, he’d just have to go through all of his other coping mechanisms. He clenched his hands, then released them, feeling the relaxation in the muscles there. He did the same with his jaw, tightening then releasing, so the tension fell out of his temples. As he categorically moved through his body, tensing and relaxing, Poe pulled up to his place.

Poe, it turned out, lived in a small duplex with a garage, so he could enter Poe’s house without having to step out into the public. He got a little queasy at the idea that he was going to be stuck in a cage for the rest of his life. God, all he wanted to do was sit in his cubicle and crunch numbers and go to game nights and be with Poe and- His breath started whistling through his teeth again.

Poe parked and turned off the car, hitting the button for the garage door to close. Then, his hand was on Finn’s. “Time to breathe again, Finn. It’s going to be okay. I know things are shit right now, but it’s going to be okay.”

“How do- you know?” Finn managed, after a break for a breath.

“Because I know you’re a survivor.”

“I don’t feel like a survivor right now.”

“I’ve seen enough shit to know what survivors look like,” Poe said cryptically. “You’re definitely one of them.” His fingers laced through Finn’s. “How about I call for pizza, and we bundle you up on the couch in front of the TV, and we both just don’t fucking think about it for a few hours, okay?”

Finn traced his thumb over the back of Poe’s hand before meeting his eyes. “I like that plan.”

In a matter of minutes, Poe had him wrapped in a blanket, a mug of tea in his hands, and, after checking with Finn for his preference, WALL-E playing on the small screen of Poe’s ancient TV.

When the pizza had him close to a food coma, he was feeling the most relaxed he’d felt since his boss had called him into the conference room to meet with the man who claimed to be his brother. Except _claimed_ wasn’t exactly being truthful to himself, was it? Finn had felt the connection between them almost the second he entered that conference room.

He looked over at Poe, who was glancing between the movie while working on his laptop - catching up on books for the shop, he’d said. He didn’t want to disturb him, but… “Poe?” He hated how weak his voice sounded. Reminded himself that he hadn’t spent this much of the day on edge in a long, long time. He had to allow himself a little weakness.

“Yeah, buddy?” Poe was clicking at something on his computer, the crease between his eyes prominent, then easing and replaced by eye crinkles as he smiled. “Ha! Knew I could balance you!” The crease returned. “Wait…”

Finn huffed, then smiled, pulling the laptop out of his hands and taking out his glasses so he could look at the numbers properly. “How is it you haven’t hired someone to do this, Poe?” he said in an exasperated tone.

“I should be able to do it myself,” Poe said belligerently.

Finn rolled his eyes. How many clients had he taken on that had said the exact same thing before he’d switched over to forensic accounting? “Sure,” he murmured distractedly as he traced Poe’s numbers around until he found the problem. He tapped the keyboard efficiently, then nodded as everything added up correctly this time. “You had the wrong charge from the bulk food supply, is all.” He looked up, wondering for a second why Poe was blurry, before slipping his glasses off and into his pocket again. Poe was staring at him. “What?” Finn squirmed, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden.

Poe shook his head. “Sorry. And thank you. Did you need something?”

Finn handed him back his laptop, frowning. “Yeah, actually. I was wondering if you would check my phone? I’m worried that...I don’t know. Somehow _they’ll_ have gotten ahold of the number.” Finn wasn’t entirely sure if he meant the paparazzi or the king.

“Sure, bud.” Poe’s face transformed from...whatever it had been when Finn had been working magic on his spreadsheet, to one of kindness.

Finn handed over the phone he’d turned off hours ago. Poe powered it on, and both of them watched the screen boot quietly. Unconsciously, Finn timed his breaths to Poe’s, keeping himself calm.

Immediately, several texts appeared, but before Poe could click on them, the phone began to ring in his hand. Finn jumped, then relaxed when he realized it was Rey. Poe looked at him, and he nodded. Poe accepted the call and put it on speaker phone.

“Hey, Rey,” Finn called.

“Hi, Rey, it’s Poe, I’m here, too,” Poe got in before Rey could respond, so she’d know she was on speaker phone.

“Poe? Finn! Where are you? Why is our apartment building overrun? Why is every neighbor getting asked by the paparazzi if they know you?”

Finn felt the color drain out of his cheeks. “Are our neighbors talking about me?” He wanted to curl up in a ball and die.

“The super kicked the paps out of the building, but I don’t know if any quote-unquote reporters managed to lure our neighbors out. Someone offered me a hundred bucks to tell me what your car looks like. I almost took it just to lie, since, ya know, you don’t have a car.”

Finn smiled weakly. “You have my permission to lie all you want about me for profit, babe.”

“What’s going on, Finn?”

“I’m sure it’ll be the headline on E tonight.” Finn drew his knees up and buried his face in them.

“Are you okay?” The worry was evident in her voice.

“He’s safe,” Poe replied. “Hey, are they still there?”

Rey paused, and Finn could imagine her pulling back the curtain on her apartment window. “Yeah, they look like they’re hunkering down for the long haul.”

Finn groaned into his knees.

“Are there any other people there? People who look like bodyguards?”

“Not that I can see. Like I said, the super kicked everyone out.”

Finn lifted his head, struck by an idea. “Hey, Rey, do you still have my spare key?”

“Yeah. What do you need?”

“My meds, mostly. If it’s not trouble.”

“Finn.” The censure in Rey’s voice made him feel better, just a little. “Text me the address?”

“Will do,” Poe replied. “See you soon.”

“See ya.”

Finn continued to hug his knees as the call ended and Poe sent off the address. “I’m not normally so helpless,” he felt the need to say.

He was surprised when Poe pulled the whole bundle of him into his lap. “You don’t normally find out you’re a long-lost prince whose existence threatens his brother’s seat of power, now do you?”

“No, it’s only the third time this month,” Finn replied, smiling a bit at himself.

“I didn’t realize you were old hat at this, my apologies.”

Finn pulled away. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Poe looked at him, as if assuring himself Finn was going to be okay, before cleaning up their pizza plates and heading into the kitchen. Finn hesitated, then followed him, not really wanting to be alone right now. Quietly, he helped Poe with the dishes, wondering if he was going to ever have anything that felt this normal again.


	4. Lost my chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe's pining, and Jess mostly just want to slap some sense into him.

Poe glanced at the bundle sleeping on his couch as he prepared to go to work. He was glad Finn was sleeping. Whatever meds Rey had delivered had helped immensely. He and Rey had flanked Finn, keeping him company and calm until they'd all started to chain-yawn. Rey had held Finn for a long hug, then headed out, and Finn had taken the couch, despite Poe insisting he take his bed. Even now, Poe was embarrassed that he'd made an apparent-prince sleep on his couch, while at the same time a part of him thrilled at seeing Finn here in his space. He chewed his lip. He didn’t particularly want to leave Finn here alone, but no one should have to get up at the ass crack of dawn like he did, not when they’d been through what Finn had been through. He settled on a note, telling Finn when he’d be back, and to phone him if he needed him. He left it on the counter, his spare key on top should Finn want to go out.

The whole situation with Finn made him reflect on his decision to move to San Diego after his honorable discharge, to a place where no one knew him or what he’d done. He was proud of what he’d built here. He was  _ damned _ proud of Poe’s Place, he thought as he unlocked the doors. He hoped that some of the good he was doing here would even out the bad from his past. He hoped he was balancing the ledgers. 

He heard snippets of Finn’s story from his customers all day. Despite their proximity to the convention center and the celebrity sightings that went with it, apparently their neighborhood was losing their shit over an honest-to-God prince living among them.

“And he eats here, doesn’t he, Poe?”

“I think he beat me at chess last month, right at this very table!”

“Oh, my God. What if he comes by?!”

Poe did his best not to roll his eyes where the customers could see him. Customers he’d known for five years, regulars just like Finn, turned insane by a little media coverage. When it became too much, he told Jess he was going to mix up cinnamon bread in the kitchen.

Jess found him, an hour later, kneading the hell out of a batch of dough. “You’re making it inedible,” she said, voice dry.

“You think. I don’t. Fucking. Know. That!” With each word he slammed the dough on the counter, then tossed it in the trash with disgust. “It’s just...disrespectful. So fucking disrespectful. These people  _ know _ Finn. They wouldn’t be losing their heads over it if they’d seen him last night, curled in a blanket, trying to make sense of his new world.”

“So are you going to tell him you’re painfully in love with him, or…” Jess arched a brow at him. 

Poe regretted throwing the dough away. Instead he counted to five before answering. “I think he’s got a little bit more to concentrate on right now than some asshole having a crush on him.”

“Just a crush, huh? Well, I guess you’re right, then. Let him go.”

“He’s going to think I’m like the rest of them.” Poe gestured vaguely to the front of the shop. “The timing’s going to seem a little suspicious, don’t you think? ‘Oh hey Finn, so now that you’re a prince and probably filthy rich, by the by, I love you.’ Yeah right. I missed my fucking chance.”

Jess pursed her lips, arms crossed over her chest. She was about to speak when Poe’s phone went off in his pocket. Hurriedly he wiped his hands and pulled it out, raising his eyebrows and making shooing motions at Jess when he saw Finn’s name there. Of course she ignored them, and stayed to listen. He glared at her, then turned his back on her. “Hey, Finn.”

“Hey,” came Finn’s quiet, deep timbre into his ear. “So, uh, my brother wants to meet with me. To talk about...I’m not sure what. Do you think...do you think we could use Poe’s Place? Could we rent the room? We could use the back entrance.” The nerves in his voice were obvious.

“Of course, Finn. Don’t worry about paying for the room. I’ll make sure everything is closed down before you come.”

“Would you mind...staying at the meeting with me?”

_ Like I’m going to leave you alone in a den of vipers. _ “No, it’s a good idea, having two sets of eyes and ears for whatever he wants to say to you. Do you, uh, want me to come pick you up for the meeting?”

“I...uh...yeah. Yes, please. My bike is still at work, and I’m sure they have it staked out…”

“Finn, it’s not a problem at all, okay?”

“Okay.”

As the call ended, Poe turned back to Jess. If anything, Jess’s arms were crossed more and her frown was harder. 

“Don’t judge me.” 

“Poe Dameron, I’ll judge you as hard as I want to.”

“I need to go pick up Finn.”

“Mhmm.” 

“Did you lock up the front?”

“Mhmm.”

“Is there any way to get you to stop saying ‘mhmm’ in that tone?”

“Yeah, take Finn by the lapels and kiss him, and end all of our misery.”

“Consent is sexy, Jessika.”

Jess rolled her eyes. “Then ask permission first, you dolt.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So one thing I don't really do well is regulating the size of chapters. I realize this is a really short update. There are a couple of Poe-POV chapters that are that way. And then, there's a Finn POV chapter coming up soon that 4400 words. So, uh, I'm sorry this is such a small update!


	5. Poe's probably going to get thrown in the dungeon.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Finn meet with Finn's brother, and plans are made.

Finn paced the gaming room alone, the small space making his circles tight and unsatisfying. Poe was waiting in the back alley for his brother and his entourage. When he heard voices coming toward him, he stood up as straight as possible to meet his brother.

King Emmanuel the Third fit every part of his name, it seemed. It was hard for Finn not to be intimidated. He was a few inches taller than Finn, to start, and dressed in a sharp black business suit, tailored to fit his trim, muscular body. The thing probably cost more than Finn made in a month. Short, curly black hair and a trim goatee completed the look. No, Finn thought, what completed the look was the even taller, even more muscular men that traveled with his brother, presumably wherever he went. The bodyguards made the room seem even tinier, and Finn swallowed, then gestured for his brother to sit.

The king, of course, took the head of the table, Poe’s normal spot, his bodyguards remaining standing and flanking him. Finn pulled out his usual chair, and after exchanging inquiring looks with Poe, in which Poe silently asked if Finn wanted him to stay, and he silently begged him to, Poe sat beside him.

Emmanuel looked at them coolly.  _ Regally _ . And not, apparently, inclined to talk.

Finn pursed his lips, annoyed. Emmanuel was the one who’d called to set up the meet with him, after all. If it was all the same to Finn, he’d like to just go back to how everything had been two days ago, thank you very much. “Listen, I don’t know what you want from me, but I think I deserve whatever information you have about how I ended up in an orphanage in California instead of a...a… a palace in Africa!”

Everyone looked shocked at his outburst, but Poe recovered quickly, placing a comforting hand on his knee and squeezing.

“Such an insolent tone would have had you thrown in the dungeon, had we been in Kalinda.” Despite the statement, Emmanuel sounded amused.

“Yeah, well, this is fucking America, so you’re going to have to deal,” Poe said, and it was Finn’s turn to look at him in surprise. “Are you going to answer his question or not?”

The king’s gaze slid to Poe, then back to Finn. “Certain matters should not be discussed with outsiders present.”

Finn sat a little straighter and placed his hand over the one Poe had laying on the table. Poe was the only thing making him feel normal right now. “Poe stays.” Finn was proud of the steel in his voice.

“I have just made you an incredibly wealthy man. Perhaps you should be more circumspect in who you allow to know your family’s secrets.”

“You just ruined my life, you mean.” At his brother’s silence, Finn continued. “I like my life. I have friends and a 401k and a stable job. I want- I want to meet my family. But make no mistake, this whole thing is...not what I want.”

Finn was stunned when his brother smiled. Poe looked between Finn and Emmanuel, mouth hanging open a little, and then Finn realized it, too. Finn saw that smile every time he took a selfie with Rey. “And you are willing to come back to our country and tell the governing council this?” Emmanuel leaned back, crossing his arms across his chest, his grin self-congratulatory.

“Sure, though I don’t know who that is. I just want...I want to go back to being as normal as possible, whatever that means now. And while I want to see where I come from, I definitely don’t want to rule the country.”

“Excellent!” Emmanuel stood, then pulled Finn up and into his arms, beating on his back with exuberance. “How soon can you travel? We should get this taken care of at once. People at home are anxious to meet you, our mother being one of them.” Emmanuel went on, something about his private jet being ready to leave whenever Finn was ready, but Finn got stuck on his previous statement.

“I have...I have a mom?” Finn interrupted, breaking out of Emmanuel’s embrace and looking him in the eyes. “Do I have...I mean, is my dad still alive?”

Some of the happiness left Emmanuel's face. “Unfortunately, our father passed away a little over two months ago, and I became king. That’s what precipitated the search, actually. The governing council wants to be sure that I'm the proper heir to the throne.” 

It struck Finn that he didn’t quite trust Emmanuel. “So what you’re saying, Emmanuel, is that our dad passed away at the same time I conveniently had a genetic test done that flagged me in your system?”

Emmanuel’s smile was large, and Finn couldn’t help but think he was covering something up with false cheer. “God’s miracles at work, it must be. Now, you must call me Tochi. Emmanuel is my royal name, but we are family, are we not? Tochi is my family name.” Emmanuel-Tochi the Third Royal Highness of Whatever turned to Poe. “Of course, you may call me that too.” He looked back at Finn. “You are welcome to bring your boyfriend with you. In Kalinda, we pride ourselves on being very progressive, very forward. It will not be questioned. If it would make you comfortable for him to accompany you.” Before Finn could protest, Tochi - Finn decided he liked the less formal name better - barrelled on. It was obvious to see why he wanted to be the rightful king. “Now, I’d like to assign you one of my men for the night, until we get back to Kalinda and can appoint you your own guard. We don’t have enemies, not situated where we are, with the resources we have, but then again, all rich and powerful people have enemies.”

Finn looked up at the tall, powerful men flanking Emmanuel. “Uh-”

“Before my honorable discharge, I was Special Ops. I can handle Finn’s security.”

Everyone in the room looked at Poe, and Finn’s jaw dropped. While he had known about Poe being ex-military- Poe didn’t hide it, after all, hosting special military nights, and support groups in this very room - he hadn’t known Poe was...whatever Special Ops meant. Finn mostly had movies to go on, and they tended to paint a way more romantic picture in his head than what he supposed it was really like, considering how little Poe liked to talk about it. 

Tochi frowned, no doubt because his plan wasn’t being followed to the T. Poe lifted his chin defiantly.

“Poe, you can’t just leave the shop for however long this takes,” pleaded Finn, attempting to be the voice of reason. 

“Jess can handle it-”

“The Crown will, of course, compensate you and your boyfriend for any loss of income due to absence.”

Finn bit on his lip. Jesus, was he going to turn just as nonchalant about money? And he’d really let the whole boyfriend thing carry on too long, and even though Poe hadn’t corrected his brother, Finn felt the need to. “Poe’s n-”

“Babe, you’re not going to talk me out of it.”

_ Babe? _ Finn arched a brow at Poe, who stared at him steadily, obviously trying to get him to play along. 

Tochi laughed. “You should listen to him. He has the same tone of voice my wife gets when there’s no use arguing with her.”

Finn was attempting not to sputter. “Uh-”

“Do you have a passport?” Tochi had his phone out now and was tapping away. Finn nodded. He'd gotten one a couple of years ago to attend a gaming con in Canada.

“And how about your boss? Need me to smooth things over there?” 

Finn almost snorted at the idea of staid, boring Steve being confronted by a king from Africa. “I've got a lot of vacation time saved up. I'm sure he'll be happy I'm staying away after the circus you created yesterday.”

Tochi pursed his lips. “I am sorry about that. A most unfortunate consequence. It is much better in Kalinda, I assure you.”

Tochi departed quickly after, leaving Finn the specifics on the Kalindan Crown private jet. As Poe showed them out, Finn sank back into his chair numbly and began to list in his head what he needed to get done. 

Poe returned and sat beside him, letting him think, and Finn was grateful. He didn't know Poe as a particularly alpha male, but he'd seemed like one earlier, and it bothered him. He liked the Poe he knew as a baker, as a gamer. He was also slowly realizing that he might like  _ Poe _ , just Poe. Poe who was his friend. Poe who suddenly seemed unbearingly attractive. Finn frowned. He wasn’t...he didn’t...he wasn’t used to having thoughts like that that weren’t some vague faceless someone in his head, his idea of attractive. Suddenly it was Poe’s features that filled that face, Poe’s gently muscled limbs that filled that vague body. What was this? Where had it come from? Why did he feel the sudden urge to tackle Poe to the ground and do all the things he’d heard people brag about but never been interested in himself? He’d tried kissing a few times in high school and college but he’d never felt something like this need, clawing up inside of him.

Apparently Poe only had patience for a few minutes of silence. “Listen, Finn, I'm sorry about claiming to be your boyfriend.” He picked up one of Finn’s hands in his own, and Finn’s heart sped up at the contact. “It was the only way I could think of to get your brother to let me tag along. An excuse to be with you at all times. Surely you noticed-”

Finn made himself stop recognizing the callused yet delicate skin his fingers were touching and refocused on the possible danger he was in. He cleared his throat. “That he never told me how I came to be here and not a prince in Africa? Yeah, I noticed that smooth little omission. What's he got to keep from me? And how convenient that my bloodwork and my father’s death - if we’re believing Tochi’s version of the story - happened around the same time?” Finn folded his fingers into Poe’s, letting himself feel grounded through the contact. “I can't help feeling like I'm going in blind. How am I supposed to keep  _ you _ safe?” 

“Don't worry-”

“Don't tell me not to worry about you, Poe. Let's just agree to have each other’s backs.”

Poe looked down at their linked hands. “So you're down to keep faking it?”

“Yeah,” Finn said, breaking the contact.  _ Jesus Christ  _ how he wanted to keep faking it. And maybe _not_ fake it. He laughed ruefully. “Hey, I may know next-to-nothing about my homeland, but at least it's clear they're gay-friendly.”

“Here's hoping it's all the same type of good news. Milk and cookies?”

Finn was suddenly extremely tired, the anxiety from everything catching up with him. “At your apartment? I don't want to pack tonight.”

“You've come to the right person if you want to avoid life,” Poe replied with a wink as they walked out.


	6. Trivia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Up early by special request. There's a chance when I wake up tomorrow that Trump won't have won. But if he has, and I don't care if I lose readers for this, if he has, then now is the time to turn the fear and tears into action. We must protect our vulnerable. We must be vigilant. We must protect ourselves, we must practice self-care, we must not harm ourselves. To everyone in a vulnerable community because of a Trump presidency: I love you. I love you so much. You matter to me. To everyone, I love you and you matter to me. ❤️❤️❤️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If there are glaring errors, it's because I just can't edit on mobile. Will fix some time later.

Given his time in Special Ops, Poe wasn’t at all intimidated by Tochi’s personal security; the plane, though...well it sure beat anything he’d flown in before. The attendant nodded at them graciously and showed them to two seats that were facing each other. Poe automatically took the seat that allowed him to have eyes on the exit and the rest of the plane. When he was done scanning for vulnerabilities and creating exit strategies in his head, he glanced back at Finn and realized Finn was staring at him with a bemused look on his face. “What?”

“Just… you’re taking this bodyguard thing seriously, aren’t you?”

“Very,” Poe replied with a frown.

Finn looked embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to imply that you wouldn’t. Just that it seems like a lot of fuss for...me.”

Poe stretched his leg out, then nudged Finn’s shoe with his. “You’re worth it,” he said sincerely, then blushed when Tochi walked by at that exact moment, a knowing look on his face. Finn caught it too, and his fidgeting embarrassment increased.

“I need to use the bathroom before we takeoff,” Finn mumbled and hurried away.

Poe and Tochi watched him go, then Tochi slid into Finn’s vacant seat. “I am happy to see how sweet you are to my brother.”

Poe nodded. “Finn deserves it.”

“You seem remarkably...cool, I think the phrase is? Remarkably cool about this whole thing.” Tochi casually swept a hand through the air that Poe figured meant his whole life. “For a baker.’’

“If I’m not suitably awed, your majesty, you have my sincere apologies.” Poe had never really been able to keep a leash on his smart tongue.

Tochi stood, rebuttoning his suit coat, then clapping a hand down on Poe’s shoulder. He leaned down, filling Poe’s vision, and pressed into Poe’s muscles hard, but Poe didn’t flinch. “Certain people could find your lack of surprise suspicious, but I suppose we’ll find out all of your secrets when my people finish their background check on you, hmm?”

Poe stared coolly into Tochi’s eyes, refusing to be intimidated. He opened his mouth, but the next sound he heard was Finn’s calm, quiet, yet glaringly-obviously pissed off tone. “Let go of him, Tochi. You don’t get to be my brother for five minutes and then be overprotective of me. You haven’t earned that yet.”

Tochi eased back, stepping into the aisle to let Finn to his seat. “Forgive me, brother,” he said, without an ounce of remorse in his tone.

“Forgiven,” Finn ground out, sounding just as unforgiving.

Tochi turned and walked down the aisle and into a room, closing the door. Poe figured it was his private office.

“Sorry about that,” Finn said to him, a pained look on his face.

“Don’t be, buddy. I’m glad you have my back.”

Finn was quiet for a moment, watching the ground crew outside the window. “I’m glad you came with me,” he murmured. “It’s not...I feel bad about inconveniencing you and disrupting your life, but the larger, selfish part of me is really glad I’m not doing this alone.”

At Finn’s quiet words, Poe felt his heart swell within him. Jesus, he was so completely fallen, it was insane. But then-

Finn met his eyes, looking vulnerable. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to...how anything is going to be normal after this? What if I never get to go to campaign night again?” And Poe’s heart broke into a million bits for Finn, for them. Because how was a baker supposed to court a prince?

“We’ll make it happen,” Poe vowed as the attendant came through to check their seat belts for takeoff.

He adjusted himself, and noticed Finn was gripping the armrests. He nudged Finn’s foot again, getting the man to look up at him. He arched a brow, and embarrassment slid over Finn’s cheeks again. “I’ve never flown anywhere. Or...uh, I guess that isn’t true, since I was apparently born in Africa. But I’ve never flown anywhere as far as I remember.” He looked out the window, where orange-vested men were waving lights as the plane started to move. There was a loud thunk, and Finn visibly started. His eyes slid back to Poe’s. "Sorry. It’s stupid. People fly every day and nothing bad happens. You’ve probably flown in a million planes.”

Poe tried for levity. “Only like half a million.” Finn’s smile was tiny, but there, and Poe counted it as a personal victory.

“Can’t say I’ve ever been on anything as cushy as this, though.” When Finn started again as the plane shifted directions, Poe chewed on his lip. “What can I do, honey?”

Finn looked up sharply at that, then glanced around the plane. No one was near them, but he nodded, apparently accepting that they needed to be ‘on’ whenever they weren’t alone, just the two of them. “Talk to me? Distract me? Babe?” Finn looked like he had trouble forcing the epithet out, but damn if Poe didn’t enjoy it anyway.

“Okay. So I’ve been working on some of the trivia night questions. Want a preview? You’ll have to promise not to cheat,” Poe said with a mockingly-stern finger wagging at Finn.

Finn smiled again, mission accomplished. “If I don’t know it, I promise I won’t look it up before the next night. If I know it, I promise nothing.” His teeth flashed a little ferally - trivia night at Poe’s Place was hotly contended, and Finn and Rey’s team had taken 1st place the last two months. Snap was out for blood.

Poe pulled out his phone and scrolled through the notes. “Ah, okay, here. Which six baseball teams have never won a World Series?”

“Never, ever?”

“Never, ever,” Poe confirmed, smiling.

“Well, shit, you know Rey is our sports guy.”

Poe laughed, and Finn joined him, as their plane started to accelerate. Finn clenched down on the armrests again, and Poe scrolled through his phone. “Okay, how about this. Which Star Wars character has been played by the same actor in every single inception of the series, including the animated shows?”

Finn chewed on his lip, and Poe wanted to shout with triumph when he loosened his grip on the armrests to rub his hands together. It was a gesture Poe recognized from trivia night. “C-3PO?”

“10 points for Going Peanuts.” The plane started to take off, but Finn was busy giving himself a little clap, then looking at Poe expectantly. “Alright. Uh, okay, here’s a good one. The four largest moons of Jupiter are all named after what?”

“Jupiter’s lovers!” Finn practically yelled, then ducked his head, looking around the cabin to make sure no one had heard him. When he was sure he was safe, he looked back at Poe eagerly.

“Name the seven countries in Central Asia that end in ‘stan.’”

“Oh, oh shit. Um. Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, uh...shit. Pass.”

Poe smirked. “Name the best Star Trek captain.”

Finn’s eyes were bright on his. “Yeah, uh, no, if you think you’re going to use the sacred space of trivia night to get me to admit that Captain Janeway is somehow better than motherfucking Jean-Luc Picard, you’ve got another thing coming, babe.” He looked surprised at himself as the nickname came out much more smoothly this time. “Uh.”

“Look, Picard is a good guy, but Janeway - just, she’s so powerful, you know? And she’s doing it all while being stranded on the other side of space. Picard plays it safe.”

Finn settled back in his chair, ready to bicker with him, and Poe almost rubbed his hands together in glee.

“Can I bring you anything to drink, your majesty? Mr. Dameron?” The attendant hovered over their area, and Poe noticed the seat-belt sign had gone off. Out the window, they were already flying over the desert of eastern California and Arizona.

Finn was looking too, then shook his head, and Poe did the same. “Not right now, thanks.” The attendant slipped away, and Finn looked across to Poe. “And thanks. Thanks for distracting me.”

“My pleasure,” Poe murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still love you. Hope this provided a distraction. Protect our vulnerable, protect yourself.


	7. Welcome to Kalinda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Poe touch down in Kalinda. 
> 
> The 4400 word Finn POV chapter I mentioned last week.
> 
> Hope everyone is surviving.

Sometime after stopping for refueling in Miami, Finn fell reluctantly asleep. When he woke, the little tv screen attached to the ceiling told him they were nearing their destination, though Finn still saw the Atlantic Ocean glittering in the sunset below them. He grimaced, working out a kink in his neck. They’d flown straight through the day, and the idea that they’d be landing at night was disorienting for Finn. Add the anxiety over meeting his long lost relatives...his mom...and, well, Finn was fidgety.

“Doesn’t matter how posh the airplane is, falling asleep in one of these things still sucks,” Poe commented, and Finn glanced at him. The baker - bodyguard? Boyfriend? - had his e-reader in his lap. 

“Did you get any rest?” Finn coughed, clearing the sleep from his throat. 

“Nah, but it’s okay. I’ll sleep soon.”

“Yeah, I didn’t think about that. I’ll probably be wired all night.” He rubbed a shaky hand over his face.  


“I’ll keep you entertained,” Poe replied with a wink and Finn blushed, unsure of the feelings for Poe building inside him - that had been building inside him all this time? “I did manage to talk Muscle 1 and Muscle 2 into some card games.  Their names are Michael and James, by the way. I guess bible names are big in Kalinda.” Poe shifted in his seat, stretching his legs out a bit, and his foot bumped into Finn’s. 

The attendant - Ashara - came by again, helping them prepare for landing. Finn took deep breaths throughout the landing, all of the clunking sounds and shakes and shudders of the plane, though absolutely normal, sending adrenaline spiking through his system.

By the time they’d landed, he could feel the chemicals mixing heavily in his system, compounded by the worry over what was coming next. When Tochi and his bodyguards passed them to walk outside, Poe stood to follow, but Finn remained glued to his seat.

Poe crouched in front of him, rubbing his legs, covered in the slacks of the business suit that was the fanciest thing Finn owned. “You can do this, Finn. You totally got this.”

Finn’s skin tingled wherever Poe touched, adding a new layer over the feeling of anxiety. He nodded, standing slowly to make sure he wasn’t dizzy. He wasn’t, but Poe placed a hand at the small of his back to steady him anyway. They walked like that to the exit, Finn peering into the gloamin, the sun just setting now over the water.

At the top of the stairway, he paused, taking in the sight of the beautiful green forests to his left, and the beachfront that was visible to his right. Kalinda was one of the small countries on the western coast of Africa, tucked between Sierra Leone and Liberia. Though the beaches were now a popular tourist destination, a series of natural defenses had kept Kalinda isolated and protected during the time of European colonization, though they hadn’t been immune to the traveling missionaries. Kalinda had been influenced by its neighbors, though, and now had English as one of its official languages.

Finn knew all of this because of Kalinda’s Wikipedia page. He’d committed the encyclopedic knowledge to memory as much as possible, although history had less of a chance of sticking in his brain than numbers did. 

When he finally looked down at the lamp-lit tarmac, he was glad to see that nothing awaited him except a limo. No crowd of paparazzi, or crowd of relatives, which might have been even more overwhelming. He descended the staircase and nodded at Muscle 1 - _shit, is that James or Michael?_ He should’ve asked Poe for details on remembering which one was which - who held the limo door open for him and Poe.

Tochi was already inside, tapping away on his phone. “If you do not mind, brother, I’d like to take you on a little tour of our capital city. You will not be able to see some of our architecture, but Rodina comes alive at night,” Tochi said with a wide, welcoming smile that made him all the more impossible to read in Finn’s opinion. 

“No, that’s fine,” Finn replied. “I’d like to learn more.” And it would give him time to relax before he met any more ‘family.’

Though the tinted windows of the limo dulled the colors, Finn could tell that the city of Rodina was a shining jewel of a place. As the car swept leisurely through the streets, Finn saw bustling night street markets, with vendors negotiating animatedly with their customers. Another turn, and they were on a crowded thoroughfare of fancy European shops - Gucci, Finn recognized, and here, it was mostly a sea of tourists. Tochi explained the historical significance of some of the buildings as they went, but mostly, he just let Finn take everything in, for which Finn was grateful. He could see that Rodina was a blend of both modern and ancient, its people confident with the life they’d built for themselves in this world as well as the traditions of their past. 

When they pulled up to a nondescript parking garage, Finn looked at his brother, then at Poe, suddenly nervous about what was to come. He still didn't trust his brother, and this seemed...suspicious. He felt Poe brace himself beside him. To his surprise, once they’d been cleared through security at the garage, they were driven through a tunnel, then through another security station, and finally emerging back above ground to see a large building - what he recognized from Wikipedia as the palace.

“Smooth,” Poe said with a whoosh that told Finn he'd been holding his breath, and Finn nodded in agreement. 

“There is an official exit for royal processions, of course, but this way is much nicer.”

“Of course,” Poe responded. Finn was pretty sure he was the only one who could hear the light sarcasm in Poe’s voice.

A servant, white-suited and white-haired, was waiting for them when the limo stopped. He opened the door, and Finn let Tochi and his entourage exit first. 

“Your majesty, welcome home,” Finn heard the servant say.

“Thank you, Ibrahim.”

Finn unfolded himself and stepped out into the warm night air. In that respect, at least, Kalinda was like California. He’d be grateful when he could shed this suit. The old man, Ibrahim, nodded at him. “Welcome back, your highness.” His voice was grave as he bowed.

Unsure of protocol, Finn stumbled through his sentence. “Um, can I ask you to call me Finn? Is that allowed?”

Ibrahim smiled kindly. “Yes, although it will take me awhile, I think, to forget the name I knew you by, Dayo.”

Finn took a moment to accept the fact that this was going to happen a lot here - that there were a lot of people who thought they knew him because they’d known him when he was a baby. “I’ll appreciate you working on it.” Being anyone but Finn Johnson still seemed ridiculous to him. He felt Poe’s hand press into his back again, comforting him, and he angled. “My boyfriend, Poe Dameron.” Damn, how those words coming out of his mouth made him feel steady again, even as a little thrill shot through him. 

Ibrahim nodded at Poe, as Tochi came to stand by them. “Ibrahim has been the head of the royal household since my father’s early reign. He is practically my second father.”

Ibrahim bowed his head in acknowledgement. “It is my pleasure, always. Tochi, Marie is expecting you in your quarters. Something about an overdue foot massage?”

Tochi grinned, then turned to Poe and Finn. “My wife is currently expecting our first child.”

“Congratulations,” Poe replied politely, and Finn nodded.

“My- our mother is anxious to meet you,” Tochi said to Finn, and Finn felt a frisson of anxiety shoot through him. 

“Oh?” he managed, nowhere near ready for this.

He could tell by the way that Poe and Tochi were looking at him that his anxiety was fairly obvious. Poe turned to Tochi, opening his mouth, to protest most likely, or to slip in a smooth, convenient excuse, but Tochi was already speaking. “I told her to give you time to rest after the plane ride. Though she is excited, she has agreed to wait until morning. She knows that everything must be overwhelming right now.” 

Finn nodded, grateful. “Thanks. I, um, look forward to meeting her,” he said, hoping saying it aloud would make it true. 

Tochi smiled at them. “Ibrahim will see that you have everything you need to recover from the trip. I imagine he will be able to bring you whatever you would like to eat for dinner, before bed. The family, and some of our close friends and advisors have arranged to eat breakfast together tomorrow morning, as a way for us to get to know you, and for you to meet everyone.” 

Finn swallowed. “Breakfast. Got it.” 

“Until tomorrow, brother.” Tochi clasped Finn’s arm, then quickly released it with a nod to the three of them. He turned and walked inside, Ibrahim, Finn and Poe following at a slower pace.

“There are several wings in the palace,” Ibrahim explained. “Tochi and Marie have claimed one for their family. Your mother keeps the Queen’s chambers. I’m placing you in her wing, if that is acceptable.”

Finn was still staring at the opulent entranceway they’d walked into. “Uh, wherever we’ll be out of the way is fine,” he mumbled. This room was bigger than his entire apartment, he was pretty sure. 

“Your brother didn’t indicate whether you two would like to share a suite or not. Do you have a preference?” Ibrahim led them up a set of stairs, and Finn’s hand played over the deep mahogany rail, taking in the sumptuous carpet beneath his feet.

Poe coughed, and Finn glanced back at him, starting as he realized they’d yet to answer Ibrahim’s polite inquiry. “Oh, um…” he floundered, looking at Poe for help. He wanted to say _yes, please, I’d love to share a suite with Poe,_ but he didn’t want to take the choice out of Poe’s hands.

Poe looked at him inscrutably, then seemed to come to a decision. “We’d prefer one suite, please.”

Finn was pretty sure Poe was thinking only of his protection, but he was glad Poe had said it anyway.

“Of course, sir,” Ibrahim said agreeably, then produced a radio from his pocket to give directions for their luggage. 

The suite was as ridiculous as Finn had been expecting, given the foyer and the stairway. It was bigger than any hotel suite he’d ever seen, not that he’d had occasion to stay in one often - once for an accounting convention he'd been upgraded to a suite, and he'd felt like - _ha_ \- a prince. Now, at any moment, he expected the guy from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous to pop out and start narrating about the Egyptian cotton sheets or the marble tub in the bathroom or something like that.

Ibrahim lingered while more servants came with their luggage, and the whole sequence of events made Finn feel awkward. He made a point to look each person in the eye as he thanked them sincerely, which seemed to fluster them. 

“Would you like any refreshments before you retire, your highness? Mr. Dameron?”

Now that he knew he was putting off the major anxiety of meeting his family for another twelve hours, Finn realized that he  _ was _ hungry. “Oh, um, if it’s not a bother…”

Ibrahim smiled widely when Finn’s stomach growled. “I will bring you both a plate of something to snack on before bed. It does not do to sleep on an empty stomach.”

“Thank you, Ibrahim.”

With a bow, Ibrahim left them alone, closing the suite doors behind him. Finn opened his mouth to say something, then stopped when Poe shook his head, hard.

“I’m so glad we made it, babe. I’m  _ exhausted. _ ” Poe looked anything but exhausted as he whipped out his cell phone. 

Finn’s brow furrowed, first at the epithet, then at the cell phone. “Isn’t that going to cost-”

Poe held a finger up to his lips, and Finn was so surprised by the move he shut up. “I wonder what Ibrahim is going to bring us to eat. Are there Kalindan delicacies? Do you think I can get in the kitchens?” As he talked, Poe showed Finn what he was doing on the phone. It didn’t take Finn long to interpret the various gauges - Poe was scanning the room for something.

Finn felt suddenly cold. “I’m sure we can make that happen,” he managed.

The app on Poe’s screen went green. “Okay, we’re clear.”

“Of what, listening devices?” The very thought made Finn want to shudder.

“Yeah, audio/visual.”

“You thought they might have _cameras_ in here?” Finn could barely keep his voice at a normal level.  


“They’d match the ones in the hallways. Call me paranoid.”

“Right. Right. Right, that makes sense. Of course a palace would have cameras everywhere. Of course. But in here, we’re not on camera.” Finn began to pace.

“Whoa, buddy.” Poe took Finn’s arms, forcing him to focus on his face. “These are all good things. It means it’s easier to keep you safe.”

“Poe, I get that, really, I do, but don’t you see? The paparazzi are one thing, but to not have privacy where you make your home? How do they live like this?”

“Maybe the royal family is a little paranoid too. I mean, they did manage to lose an  _ entire child. _ How the hell did that happen? Still waiting for that answer, aren’t we?”

Finn hugged himself, rubbing his arms. He must have looked pathetic, because Poe pulled him into his arms instead, smoothing a hand over his back in comfort. At a soft knock, they both sprang apart. “Come in,” Finn called.

It was yet another unnamed servant, bearing a tray of fruits, meats, and cheese, which he set on the coffee table in the suite’s living area. Finn was barely able to shake his hand and thank him before he scurried away. “I am  _ not _ going to get used to this.”

Poe, who was already attacking the plate, looked guilty. “Oops.” He set the meat slice back down.

Finn reached for a slice of some unidentified red and yellow fruit as he laughed. “Just because I have a complex doesn’t mean you have to, Poe. Eat.”

“I just learned a long time ago to take the good moments as they came, you know? ‘Cause you’re never sure when it’s all going to go to shit.”

Finn sat down beside Poe on the couch, and made up a cheese and meat roll. “Things do that a lot on you? Go to shit?” At Poe’s silence, Finn added, “You don’t have to tell. Just, since we have to pretend to be boyfriends, I thought it might be good to get to know you a bit better.”  _ That sounds plausible, right? _

“Not lately,” Poe said at last. “Lately, things have been pretty good.” His eyes were warm on Finn’s, the non-answer sliding by him in the implication that maybe Poe- “Mmm you have to try this,” Poe exclaimed, holding a cheese-fruit combination up to Finn’s lips. Finn opened, and took the food, their eyes locking as his lips closed around the tip of Poe’s finger before Poe took them away. 

Finn barely tasted the combination while he was under Poe’s gaze, but he let out a little hum of approval anyway, smiling and nodding as he chewed. _Jesus, why are these feelings all coming up in me now?_ Now, when Poe was being forced to pretend to be his boyfriend? Finn wasn’t… Finn didn’t feel things like this for people. He’d gotten called ‘robot’ a lot of times growing up because he just didn’t have those intense feelings, like crushes and first loves, that everyone else seemed to be having. Now, as he made another cheese and meat roll and offered it to Poe, watching his full lips bite down into it, some primal urge within him satisfied at having fed Poe, he wondered why the hell these feelings were finally showing up when everything was so fucking complicated.

Poe yawned, then tried to cover it up. 

Finn nodded to the bedroom. “You should go to bed, you look exhausted.”

“You should, too. You don’t want to let sleeping on the plane keep you up, or you’ll never be able to deal with the jet lag tomorrow.” Poe patted his knee as Finn was left wondering, once again, about this Poe that just  _ knew _ all these things. Poe stood, then glanced at the door. “Uh, about there being only one bed…”

Finn shrugged, trying to cover up his nerves to nonchalantly say, “There’s plenty of space for both of us on that thing. Um...it might be suspicious if it looks like we don’t sleep together?” Finn’s cheeks were so hot he was tempted to just stick his entire head under the faucet, but he forgot about it - slightly - when Poe yawned again. “Go to bed, Poe.”

Poe smirked. “You’re the bossiest boyfriend I ever had.” 

That eased the tension a bit, even made Finn laugh. “Don’t forget, my warrior-mage is the party leader. We can be bossy.”

Poe’s eyes glittered with mirth. “Don’t forget, I’m the GM. I’m even bossier.” With a final bite to his lip that Finn was sure was meant to drive him crazy, Poe turned into the bedroom, closing the door.

_ Was that...were we flirting? _ Finn thought to himself as he went to the small kitchenette to make himself a cup of tea. There was a wide variety, but he stuck with chamomile. As the water warmed, Finn dug through his luggage, finding his pajamas and his self-care kit. He’d promised his therapist he’d go through his full nightly self-care routine every night while in Kalinda, so that he would sleep easier, and hopefully not have to rely on just his medication. He put the thoughts of whatever was going on with Poe away, and focused on the routine instead. Since he wasn’t at home, the routine was pared down a bit, though. He pulled on the soft pajama bottoms and thoroughly worn t-shirt he’d gotten at a con years ago. He hadn’t had time to wash everything before coming to Kalinda, and the pajamas still smelled of home, of his apartment, of comfort. He took out the lavender-scented lotion and smoothed it into his exposed skin. He’d long ago decided to say ‘fuck gender norms’ to the ‘girly’ scent of lavender. It did an amazing job at soothing him after a rough day promised he wouldn’t be getting much sleep. While the tea was steeping, he ran through some breathing exercises, then some relaxing yoga poses that doubled as a way to stretch out the muscles sore from sitting in a plane all day, and finally, drank his tea meditatively, running through his positive self-talk, reminding himself that he was doing the best he could and that for the moment, everything was okay.

When he’d finished the tea, he felt he was in the headspace to share a bed with Poe, and he hoped that he’d delayed enough that Poe was already asleep. He was, Finn saw as he entered the bedroom quietly, Poe’s arm slung above his head as he slept on his back. Finn pulled back the covers on the other side, and slipped in, feeling stiff and telling himself to slip back to the headspace he’d just been in. Reluctantly, Finn’s mind shut off, and he was able to fall into a restless sleep. 

Eventually, the tossing and turning proved too much, and as soon as the clock read a somewhat decent hour - Five o’clock - Finn swept out of bed, determined to get out of the room, cameras be damned. He quickly brushed his teeth and pulled his wrinkled travel suit back on, blushing at the state of it, but it was the best he had and he was meeting his entire family for breakfast and, jeez, yeah, he needed to take a walk before that.

Deciding that his walk could take the form of exploring the palace, he left the suite, in search of distraction. He tested doors, finding them locked and figuring that they were more suites, probably closed up when they weren't in use. He almost fell through the fourth door he tried, which opened into a large sitting room lined with books, the sunrise coming through the windows painting everything in the room gold. He sighed, then jolted at movement across the room. There, standing in front of the large windows, was an elegantly dressed woman. “Oh, sorry,” Finn said, preparing to back out of the room.

She turned toward him further, moving away from the distracting light of the windows so Finn could make out her features. She was wearing white linen capris, neatly pressed, and a bright yellow cardigan set, looking like a slice of sunshine herself. Finn felt self-conscious in his travel-rumpled clothes, then realized he would have felt self-conscious standing next to the gorgeous woman in anything he owned. Her black and grey braids were swept up into an elegant updo, and the laugh lines on her face had him putting together her identity before she even whispered, “Dayo.”

Finn felt the breath leave his lungs. When he managed to suck in a gulp of air, his “Mom?” was breathy and desperate. It felt both strange and appropriate coming out of his mouth. He’d been so caught up in the anxiety and the travel...and the anxiety...that he hadn’t really properly let himself think about the fact that he had a parent. He had a  _ mother. _

He was still shell-shocked and processing when his mother’s arms closed around him. She was shorter than him by a good five inches, but her small body somehow enveloped him anyway. She pulled back, eyes glittering, and looked Finn up and down. “That’s not your name, of course, is it?”

“Finn,” he managed to choke out.

“Finn,” she tested, her voice deep and smoky. She smiled, and now he could tell where he and his brother had gotten it from. “I would be happy if you called me Mom, of course, but if you find that’s uncomfortable, please, call me Dalia.” She tipped onto her toes to brush her lips across his cheeks. “I hope you’ll forgive me, I’m affectionate. Tochi was forever complaining as a child.”

Finn thought back to Tochi’s own huge embrace what - just two days ago? “I think it runs in the family.” 

There was a short knock at the door, and a servant entered with a tray of snack foods and a simple clay pot, steam pouring from its spout. “Thank you, Adisa. Could you bring another setting for my son?” 

Before Finn could tell her not to bother, Adisa was bowing with a quick, “Of course, ma’am.” 

“You’re welcome to join me for a little food before the big breakfast. I have a medication I have to take when I get up, with food, that can’t wait for later. And, my advisors tell me, it is very destabilizing for the dowager queen to be seen taking her daily medication in front of her subjects. Things like that tend to start nasty rumors about my health, and the next thing you know, the tabloid’s splashed with ‘Queen Dalia on Deathbed?’ even if that’s not my title anymore.” She made a look of disgust on her face before smiling ruefully at Finn’s continued uncomfortable expression. “This, the palace, the servants, it all takes some getting used to. Lord knows it did for me.”   

Finn opened his mouth to reply, but Adisa rushed in with another fine china setting. “Thanks,” he murmured as she rushed back out. “You aren’t...weren’t always royalty?”

With care, she lifted the clay pot and poured tea into two cups for them. She motioned for Finn to take his. “It’s my own blend, from plants grown here in Kalinda. It doesn’t require sweetener or milk, but I can ring for some if it’s not to your taste.”

To oblige her, Finn took a small sip and let the flavor play on his tongue. Outside of his self-care routine at night, he wasn’t much of a tea drinker, preferring a latte when he indulged himself at Poe’s Place, but he could see the appeal of the rich flavor, a hint of citrus lingering in his mouth. “I like it how it is.”

She beamed at him. “I’m glad. To answer your question, no. Your father, Bode, King Samuel the first, God rest his soul, found me on one of his tours of the countryside. I’m afraid we broke quite a few traditions, your father and I.” Her smile turned a little sad. “Still, some things I never got used to.” She placed a hand on the side of the clay pot briefly. “My mother’s. I’ve never been able to brew a proper pot of tea with one of the kettles they had here at the palace when I moved in. It looks humble, yes, but I’d much rather have a good drink than a pretty pot.”

“I can appreciate that,” Finn said with a smile as he took another sip. 

“Here, you must try this, it’s a Kalindan specialty.” She cut a flaky pastry in half and offered it to him. 

Finn took it and bit in gingerly, a rich spiced cream filling his mouth. “S’good,” he said around the bite, then covered his mouth, embarrassed, as his mother laughed.

“It is good,” she confirmed indulgently, her eyes taking in all of Finn. Finn expected to feel himself judged, but instead he felt...loved.

Finn finished chewing, swallowing the emotions down hard along with the pastry. “Sorry. It’s good, though. I should take one to Poe.”

“Of course you should.” Dalia slid an identical pastry off onto a plate and set it aside. “And Poe is your boyfriend, Tochi said?”

Finn hesitated with his answer. He had a hard time believing this woman was anything but trustworthy; still, he had to remember that he’d brought Poe along because, for lack of a better phrase, something was rotten in the state of Denmark, or in this case, Kalinda. “Yes. He’s a baker.” It felt like an inadequate summary, but Finn didn’t offer anything further.

“Ah! Well, we should show him the royal kitchens, then. I can introduce him to Ade, our head chef. He trained in Paris, but he knows how to make all the Kalindan specialties my peasant heart desires.”

“He’d like that.” He knew a dopey smile had slid onto his face when he’d thought about Poe, but since it helped sell the fiction, he didn’t mind.

“Do you mind telling me how you met?” Dalia sat back with her tea in her hands, attentive.

“Oh, um, well. You see, I’m a nerd,” Finn started, then laughed. “I mean that in a good way. So, I’m a nerd, and so is Poe…”


	8. A light brunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plot continues to thicken as Finn meets relatives and advisors over brunch.

When Poe woke, the bed was empty save for a lingering smell of lavender that Poe had come to identify with Finn years ago. Finn’s spot was cold, though, and Poe could tell the suite was too quiet for him to be in the bathroom or the living area. Panicking, Poe hurriedly threw on some clothes from his luggage and sped out the suite. He relaxed slightly when he heard Finn’s laughter coming from down the hallway. Quietly he padded the hallway until he came to a slightly open door. 

“He’s kind of clumsy, but it’s cute, you know? Like, this one time, I came in, and as soon as he saw me, he tripped over his feet to get behind the counter to make my order.”

“Oh no!” Poe heard a female voice say. “Was he okay?”

“Yeah, but I felt so bad I ended up buying him lunch later.”

“He sounds so sweet.”

There was a moment of quiet. “He is. I don’t know what I would have done without him, the last few days.”

“He must love you a lot.”

Poe’s breath held.

“You think?” came Finn’s quiet reply. 

“It’s not an easy thing, being with royalty. Believe me. For so many, it’s about alliances and loveless marriages to produce heirs. Maybe it’s my background, but I’ve never understood how one can be strong enough to rule without the support of their spouse. Your father certainly told me so everyday. Poe traveled here with you, though from what you’ve told me he seems like sort of a homebody. He must have had a compelling reason to do so.”

“Eavesdropping must have been part of the Special Ops training, eh, Poe?” 

Poe was proud of himself for staying perfectly still when he heard Tochi’s voice behind him. He turned serenely. “I didn’t want to interrupt a family moment.”

From behind him, he heard the woman - obviously Finn’s mother - clear her throat. “Well, it’s interrupted now, you two, so why don’t you come in? We can provide an escort to breakfast, Tochi.”

Cheeks red, feeling like he’d been caught out by a teacher, Poe entered the room, though a part deep inside of him was soothed at the sight of Finn sitting there, perfectly healthy and safe. 

“My mother, her majesty Dalia, the dowager queen.” Tochi made the introduction, then eyed him as if he was going to be disrespectful. 

Unsure of protocol, Poe bowed a little. “Your majesty.”

“Please call me Dalia,” she replied with a nod that told him he’d done okay in the respect department. She brushed her hands together and stood, holding out an arm to Finn. Finn took it, and they began to walk out of the room, leaving Poe and Tochi to trail along behind them, together. They shared a set of glares.

“I’d prefer to keep this morning to ourselves, my dear,” she said to Finn, “But some of the royal duties surrounding the found prince must be observed right away. I hope it’s not overwhelming for you.”

Finn shrugged in that nonchalant way that meant that he was hiding his true emotions. Poe wondered if the dowager queen saw through it like he did.

They were led to a large, sunny room. Several buffets lined the walls, and the room was already beginning to fill, people in fancy dress, even for a breakfast, filling plates with food before finding a place to sit. Poe felt woefully inadequate in his jeans and Poe’s Place tee. Finn was looking equally uncomfortable, so at least he wasn’t alone. 

Dalia led them to an older couple, the man dressed in military dress with more than a handful of medals pinned to his jacket. She nodded respectfully, then turned to Finn. “Finn, this is General Titus Odoh, and his wife Rebekah. General Odoh is one of the longest standing members of the governing council, and one of your father’s oldest friends.”

The general held out his hand, and Finn shook it. “My, uh, my boyfriend, Poe Dameron,” he added, nodding at Poe.  


Poe and the general shook, and Poe knew he was being sized up. He met the man’s steady gaze. “I heard a rumor that you’re ex-military?” The general arched a brow.

Poe glanced at Tochi, then back at the general. “Yes, sir.” 

The general nodded grudgingly at him before turning his attention back to Finn. “Welcome home, son. I hope you’ll come to my district sometime on your visit? It’s not every day that the people of Kalinda get to meet a living legend.”

Finn swallowed, but Tochi spoke. “I have called a meeting of the council for for Finn’s formal abdication in one week. I am hoping that, in between those times, Finn will allow me to guide him on a tour of the country.”

“I’d like that, actually,” Finn replied with a smile. “I’d like to see what Kalinda is like for real. All I’ve seen is the Wikipedia page.”

All Poe was thinking was how hard it was going to be to protect Finn when he was out and about, but he nodded along with Finn. 

“Uncle Hiram.” Tochi waved another older man over to join their crowd, and a tall woman followed him. “Finn, Uncle Hiram, the Royal advisor, and his personal assistant, Fatima.” The man who joined them wore a clean white, neatly pressed suit and an assortment of rings as his only adornment. He bowed slightly over Finn’s proffered hand before shaking it. Fatima didn’t offer her hand, but bowed as well, a curious sight given her natural height and tall, spiky heels.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Prince Dayo,” Hiram said.

“Finn,” Finn corrected firmly.

Hiram nodded his acknowledgment. “Of course, Finn.”

“Uncle Hiram isn’t actually our uncle,” Tochi explained. “The royal advisor acts like a liaison between the governing council and the crown. He’s a little like your Vice President, I think? US politics have never been my strong suit. I have Marie for that,” Tochi said with an apologetic smile. “General Odoh has been elected by the people of his district, as are all other members of the governing council. But Uncle Hiram’s position is appointed by the crown. In the early times of the council, when times were more contentious, the royal advisor would take the king’s messages to the council, and vice versa. Now, of course, I am happy to sit and listen to the council, but Uncle Hiram is still a prized advisor.” 

Hiram’s grin was infectious. “You do me honor, my boy. It’s always nice for an old man to hear that he’s useful.” He gave off a grandfatherly feel that Poe felt immediately comforting.

They kept moving through the crowd, meeting members of council, distant cousins, and foreign dignitaries. At one point, Finn met Poe’s eyes frantically, and Poe pulled him away with the excuse that they needed to eat. Dalia looked at them shrewdly, but said nothing as Poe and Finn moved to one of the buffets.

“You doing okay?” Poe whispered, just for Finn.

Finn took a slow breath in and out. “Yeah. It’s just...it’s a lot to fucking remember,” he said with a little laugh. “I’m okay. Although now that I’m here, I’m realizing that yeah, I’m starving. Good idea.”

“I live to serve,” Poe said teasingly, and Finn stuck his tongue out at him as he handed Finn a warm plate. Thoughts of what he'd like to do with that tongue danced through his head, and he had to shake the thoughts away lest they be too distracting. They took their food to a corner table, where Poe hoped they’d be out of the way, but his hopes were dashed when a very pregnant woman sat down at their table with a long-suffering sigh and her own plate of food.

She was beautiful, mahogany skin wrapped in a flowy white dress, with delicate features and long black curls. “Since my husband hasn’t seen fit to introduce us yet, I’m-”

“Marie. Tochi’s wife, right? Oh shit, I’m probably supposed to address you as like...the queen, right?” Finn said around a mouthful of eggs, cheeks flushing.

Marie’s laugh was pretty and warm. “Dalia doesn’t stand much by formality here within the palace walls, and neither do I.” She took a bite of some type of sausage, then laughed again. “But yes, technically, I am the queen. A precedent set by your father, actually, who couldn’t stand that Dalia wouldn’t get the title just because she was a commoner.” Poe was thrown by her American accent as Finn introduced them.

“Are you a commoner too? Or, I mean...your accent.” Poe stammered.

“Yes. Choosing love over lineage seems to run in the family.” Marie gave them a knowing look, and Poe realized how close he’d sat to Finn. Their shoulders were practically touching. He had to fight to keep his surprise hidden when Finn leaned in and kissed his cheek.

“Far be it from me to go against tradition, then,” Finn said smoothly. _Shit, he's getting good at this. Keep up, Dameron._  


Marie winked conspiratorially at Poe. “Watch out, Poe. Kalindan men are very charming. I was in a neighboring country, working for Doctors without Borders, when Prince Tochi came to visit. It was, I’m afraid, love at first sight. Disgusting, I know.”

“That’s sweet, actually,” Finn said sincerely, sighing. “I have no idea what that’s like.” Finn straightened, glancing at Poe, embarrassed. “I mean-”

Poe realized he wasn’t doing his part, and covered Finn’s hand quickly with his for damage control. “It’s okay, honey. Everyone’s story is different. It doesn’t matter what our journey was like, I wouldn’t have had it end any other way.” 

“Awww. Finn, he’s a keeper, I think.” Poe could tell that Marie was the type of person who found joy wherever she could. “So I hear you’re going to be making a grand tour?”

“That’s what Tochi said.”

Marie rubbed a hand over her extended belly. “I’m glad I can use the little one here as an excuse to skip out. I’ve done a couple with Tochi, of course. When we were married, and again for his father’s death and his coronation. They can be extremely fun, well, when the reason isn’t somber of course. But they're terribly exhausting. Lots of handshaking during the day. Lots of dancing at fancy balls at night.”

Finn looked down at his rumpled suit. “I, uh, didn’t bring clothes for fancy balls.”

Marie’s eyes lit up and she practically rubbed her hands together. “Now that, I can be helpful for. I can get you fixed up right quick.”

“Oh, I don’t want to make you go shopping with me, and have to be on your feet, that seems uncomfortable.”

“Oh, Finn, you dear, you’re a _prince_. The shopping is going to come to  _ you. _ ”


	9. The Grand Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn, Poe, and the rest of the crew go on the Grand Tour of Kalinda.

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of travel preparations, more introductions, and, as Marie had promised, fittings for clothes that came to them. Poe was very amused until he was roped into a fitting; as the Prince’s consort, it was only proper that he look the part, Marie and Dalia explained. With a pile of ready-mades to take back to their rooms, and a promise that they’d have perfectly appropriate Kalindan royal wear in time for the formal abdication next week, Finn and Poe were left alone with the two royal women in a sitting room, sipping tea once again.

Finn was still curious as to how he’d been taken from his family and ended up in an orphanage in California, but it seemed like the wrong time to ask, with Marie so close to giving birth. And then later, when he'd had a chance alone with Dalia, he'd just wanted to spend time with her without the cloud of the past hanging over them. Poe, who had gathered the story from the security team, at least as it was known to the average Kalindan, asked him about it that night. Finn told him the truth - that he'd gotten enough snippets of the story to piece it together - something about the Crown Jewels also being missing, and him being in the wrong place at the wrong time - and that it didn’t matter so much to him right now, because that was the past, and he was having a hard enough time getting a handle on the present.   


That night, Poe stayed up late going over security details for the tour with the security team, so Finn went through his relaxation routine alone and barely noticed when Poe slid under the covers beside him. In the morning, Poe’s alarm woke them, and Finn realized his hand had somehow migrated over to Poe’s stomach. He snatched it away quickly, keeping his eyes averted from Poe, and neither of them mentioned it as they went their separate ways to change into their fancy new suits.

The designer label may have been the most expensive thing Finn had ever worn, but it wasn’t any more comfortable than his other suit, and Finn fidgeted. He noted, with some jealousy but more interested, that Poe wore the suit like a second skin. Poe in casual clothes made Finn want to whimper. Poe dressed up? Finn was never going to survive this trip. He tugged a little at his own collar. At least it was light, in color and in fabric, since they’d be doing a walking tour of General Odoh’s district, District 7, which was mostly comprised of the city of Rodina. Kalinda wasn’t big enough for states or provinces, Tochi had explained when he and Uncle Hiram gave Finn a crash course on Kalindan politics over dinner - Uncle Hiram, he found as friendly as before, but he had a hard time figuring out Tochi, who seemed cagey, and somewhat unsuited for his brilliant wife Marie. But the districts acted much like states or provinces. Though the governing council was elected by the people, the king still technically held the power in Kalinda - even the power to disband the council.

“Not that I would,” Tochi had told Finn privately as they exited the limo for the tour event. “In fact, I am hoping to further decrease the power of the crown, which our father started. He believed, and I do too, that the people of Kalinda should have the governing power.”

Finn had privately agreed - to find he was part of a monarchy had rubbed something deep and American inside of him the wrong way. He found himself looking at Tochi in a new light.  


Each tour event was much the same, for all that they were showing off the different districts of Kalinda. They were allowed a leisurely breakfast each day, normally because they’d been up late the night before. Finn often spent this time with Dalia, catching up with her, reveling in the feeling of having a mom. Poe split his time between Finn and Dalia and hanging out with the security team. This was also the time Tochi and Uncle Hiram conferred about state business. Then, they’d travel to the event, which, given the size of Kalinda, rarely took more than an hour. The events were always held at the district seat, where they'd do a meet and greet. Finn, who'd been worried about grand speeches and the like, had been happy to find that he wasn’t expected to do much more than smile and shake hands at these events. They’d find the chance to eat at some point, normally with the district’s council member and their family, and the evening would be spent at a formal event that included more food, more hand shaking, and yes, dancing.

The first evening, Finn was in the middle of his self-care routine in the hotel room when Poe stalked in, visibly annoyed and pulling at his tie. “Your brother-” He cut himself off.

He’d caught Finn mid-downward dog, in his comfy pajamas from home. Finn finished the movement out into a plank, before stepping back into downward dog, then rolling up to mountain pose. “My brother?” he asked, a little breathless, noticing Poe’s cheeks were red, figuring it must be anger at Tochi.

Poe cleared his throat. “Your brother...uh.” He shook his head a little as if clearing it. “Your brother isn’t buying it.”

“Buying what?” Finn began to clear away his self-care items, carrying the tea cup to the kitchenette. 

“Us. More specifically, me. You, he trusts just fine, which is a laugh considering." Poe sighed. "He accused me again tonight of using you. And something about my background being suspicious.”

Finn frowned. “What did he say?”

“Apparently there was talk tonight when we didn’t dance together.”

“But that’s not _your_ fault!  _ I _ didn’t want to dance in front of all those people.” Finn’s face fell. “Except I asked you not to tell anyone about my anxiety disorder, so we can’t use that as an excuse.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. "I'm sorry, Poe."  


“Finn, you don’t need to make excuses to anyone. You’re the prince.”

“Apparently I need to be doing better, though.” Finn could feel the calm he’d managed during his routine ebbing away. “I’m so sorry my brother is acting this way. I don’t...I don’t know how he ticks at all. I have no idea how to get him to stop. I've never had anyone just...be protective of me like this.”

Poe crossed the room, putting his hands on Finn’s shoulders, centering him. “Finn, it’s okay.”

“Robot Finn, strikes again,” he replied miserably.

“I- uh- Robot Finn?”

Finn felt his face crumple. “Show-no-emotion Finn. Repressed Finn. Robot Finn.” 

It wasn’t an explanation, but Poe seemed to understand anyway. He pulled Finn into his arms. “Hey, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, okay, buddy? And not just ‘cause you’re the prince. Because you’re a person.”

Finn rested his head on Poe’s shoulder. “I don’t want people to be questioning you when all you’re doing is helping me out.” He drew his head back, looking into Poe’s kind eyes, then set his shoulders, determined. When his anxiety confronted him with a problem, he'd learned the best approach was to just meet the problem head on and see if he could make it go away. “Help me practice.”

Poe’s eyebrows shot up. “Practice?”

Finn took a step back, putting an arm at Poe’s waist and holding another out. “Practice acting human.”

Poe’s brows furrowed together now. “You already are human, Finn. You’ve just been thrust into a fake relationship. It would take anyone time to adjust, especially if you’re not used to pretending, like I am.”

The reminder that it was all an act did nothing to dampen Finn’s determination. “Dance with me.”

Poe measured him in a look, then nodded. “Of course, your highness.” His hand dropped to Finn’s waist, somehow managing to touch the sliver of skin between his pajama bottoms and his worn out t-shirt. Finn fought a shiver, reminding himself it was all for show. 

They swayed in time to nothing, Poe whispering out a count. Finn accidentally trod on Poe’s foot, and they both laughed a little. “At least you’re not wearing shoes.”

As they moved around the room, Finn got the hang of it, started to feel comfortable in Poe’s arms. Poe brought them to a stop, and Finn impulsively leaned in to brush a quick kiss across Poe’s lips. When he leaned back, Poe’s eyes were wide. “That’ll convince them tomorrow night, right?” he said as a cover up.

Poe cleared his throat. “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

Finn nodded, then made an excuse quickly and rushed to bed. Poe’s proximity in bed that night was a little more anxiety-producing than it had been before.

Over the next few days, Poe ramped up the acts of intimacy in public, and Finn found himself reciprocating. He both loved and hated every second of it, because it was an act, and because he longed so much for it not to be. Moreover, it had an ending date: in a few days, he’d formally abdicate, and then he’d be free to go back to...to his accounting job? How was he going to leave his mother behind? And then Poe would have no need to pretend to be his boyfriend. He’d known from the start that nothing was ever going to be the same, but now the knowledge was especially bittersweet.

On the last day of the tour, they were in Kalinda’s second largest city, Haron, although it was much smaller than Rodina, and nowhere near as much of a tourist trap because it was inland, built amongst the forest. It had a nice, homey feel to it that Finn was enjoying on his walking tour.  He smiled as he happily accepted a small package of homemade cookies from a little girl, kissing her on the cheek. He popped them in his pocket, hoping they were more Kalindan specialties. He’d just bent down to shake the hand of a little boy holding a “Welcome Home Prince Finn!” sign, obviously hand drawn, when the crowd seemed to surge and both he and the boy were pushed into the street. In a split second, Finn saw the oncoming car, and, acting on instinct, gathered the boy to his chest and rolled back to the gutter, the car missing them by inches before it ground to a screeching halt. Finn opened his arms to examine the small bundle of boy there. “Are you okay?”

Wide-eyed, already leaking tears, the boy nodded. “Thank you, Prince Finn. Thank you.”

“Finn!”

Both he and the boy were being hauled up by a frantic Poe. A woman, obviously the boy’s mother, pulled the boy from his arms and into her own. “Thank you, your highness. Thank you so much,” she cried, before she kissed his cheeks.

Still dazed by the close call, Finn felt himself wrapped tight in Poe’s arms as people buzzed around them and cameras flashed. Blinking, he focused in on Poe’s babbling words. “I’m so sorry, baby, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there. I saw it all happen, I thought you were going to die, I thought I was going to lose you.” In between his frantic sentences, Poe was pressing kisses everywhere he could, and the combination of the fall, of the flashes, of the deception, were a little too much for Finn. He closed his eyes and attempted to shut at least part of the world out. He pretended that Poe was actually serious when he kissed him, and that made him feel slightly steadier.  


The security team was buzzing around them now, clearing people away as Tochi and Dalia rushed back. But for everyone, it became obvious that Finn and Poe needed some time alone. Finn took a shaky breath, and steadied himself. “I’m okay, Poe. I’m okay. Just a little banged up. And this suit is ruined.” It felt strange to be on the other end of reassurance. He wrapped his arms around Poe, ignoring the twinge in his shoulder. “I’m okay, honey.”

Poe pulled back as quickly as he’d come in. “Are you hurt? We should have a doctor look you over.”

“That would be a good idea,” Dalia murmured, as Tochi typed rapidly on his phone. 

“The car is coming to us. A medical team will meet us at the palace,” Tochi relayed even as he typed. They’d come full circle in the country; Haron was only thirty minutes away from Rodina, by royal caravan, anyway. Even though it wasn’t really home to him, Finn was still grateful that they were headed back to the palace.

“I don’t need a medical team. I’m okay. I- I mean, my shoulder hurts,” Finn admitted, and Poe immediately dropped his embrace. It was a little unnerving, being the center of so much attention, when he was used to going through life by himself.

“Did you see who pushed you?” Dalia asked quietly, and every head turned to her.

“Not right now, mother,” Tochi replied just as softly and Poe’s eyes sharpened.

“What’s going on? You think this was deliberate?”

“This is not the time or place. Tochi is right. Later, when we’re sure Finn is okay.”

Finn bit down on his lip to stop himself from demanding an explanation. Beside him, he saw Poe clench his fist, but he remained quiet.

Although the crowd had been pushed back by their bodyguards, they remained, ever watchful, as the royal family waited for their car. Tochi and Dalia waved, mostly to distract them from Finn, but somewhere, someone in the crowd started chanting, “Prince Finn! Prince Finn!” and the whole crowd took it up until it was echoing through the streets. Finn lifted a hand in acknowledgement, bowing a little as the car pulled up and the crowd broke into applause.

“One thing isn’t in question, my son,” Dalia murmured as they settled in the limo. “You have certainly won the hearts of Kalinda today.”

Finn swallowed and nodded. It was only fair. Kalinda had done much the same to him.

At the palace, Finn was quickly assessed by one doctor instead of a full-fledged medical team in one of the many palace sitting rooms. Poe refused to leave his side, and Finn was grateful to have him there in any case, especially when Dalia and Tochi overheard the doctor asking about his medications and he replied with his daily dosage of anxiety meds. Well, his time in Kalinda was probably almost up anyway, they might as well know his secret, he figured. The doctor checked his shoulder, but it was was deemed okay except for some deep bruising. “I’m more worried about a delayed reaction to the event,” he said to Finn. “Make sure to monitor your anxiety levels and take another pill if necessary.”

Finn assured him that he’d keep an eye on himself. When the doctor left, Finn turned to Dalia and Tochi. “Okay, you guys need to spill.”

Beside him, Poe made a fist. “I’m supposed to be protecting Finn,” he started through clenched teeth. “How am I supposed to do my job if you guys are holding out on us?”

Dalia looked extremely tired, and collapsed onto the couch. “They’re right, Tochi. We need to tell them. Please, sit.”

Finn’s skin felt like it was vibrating, and he wondered it if was the delayed reaction from the incident or the seriousness in Dalia’s voice. Still, when Poe sat down by him on the loveseat and tangled their fingers together, he relaxed just a tiny bit. 

Tochi refused to sit, preferring instead to tower above them, but it felt less like a power move, now that Finn knew him better, and more like his way to show his agitation. 

“You were stolen from me.” Dalia’s voice was stark and quiet in the opulent room. 

“She still blames herself,” Tochi muttered. 

His mother nodded quietly. “I do.”

“She was pregnant with me-”

“That’s not an excuse. There are women in this country that labor every single day of their pregnancies, with no break.”

Poe cleared his throat, breaking up what was obviously an old argument. “So Finn was what, two, three?”

“I was two when I was left at the orphanage,” Finn supplied, happy to know at least part of the story. 

But Dalia was shaking her head. “No, honey, you were three when you were stolen from me.”

“But...but...I’m 27,” Finn sputtered.

“No, your birthday is March 11th, so you’re 28.”

“ _ Fuck _ ,” he said as he buried his face in his hands, trying to get back in control.  _ Nothing he knew about himself was real. Nothing. _ Poe’s hand was on his back, rubbing in a circular motion, comforting, soothing. 

“You know exactly who you are, Finn Johnson,” Poe murmured in his ear for just him to hear.

Finn took a deep breath and nodded, sitting back up, embarrassed. “I’m sorry, sometimes I don’t deal well with-”

“You have anxiety,” Dalia said easily. “So did your father.”

“I...really?” He felt something bloom within him, something like belonging. He took another deep breath. “So, I was stolen? Kidnapped?”

Dalia nodded while Tochi shook his head. Dalia pursed her lips. “There are some who believe your kidnapping wasn’t intentional. That you weren’t the target.” 

“Why is that?” Poe asked.

“Because when Finn was stolen, so were the Crown Jewels of Kalinda,” Tochi said firmly.

“You thought they were shiny, and smooth and fun to play with.” Dalia’s small smile was rueful, and suddenly she looked her age. “Normally they were kept in a heavily guarded safe off-site, but they were here for the night because I was required to wear them at the anniversary of Bode’s coronation. And because I considered the palace safe. I showed them to you before naptime, and you were fascinated. I put you down to sleep, then went to deal with coronation business. You never were one for naps. They say you must have gotten up to go play with the jewels again. When the alarms started going off, I rushed to your bedroom, but you were gone, and so were the jewels, from my room.”

“So,” Tochi explained, “the prevailing theory is that, in order to get away with something even more valuable, they took you as well to ransom you.”

“Except we never, ever got a single legitimate message demanding a ransom.” Dalia’s eyes were distressed. “You have to know, Finn, we looked  _ for years _ . Bode and I, we paid for so many false leads. Until...until we were forced to accept that maybe you were dead.”

“Kalinda was suffering, both emotionally and fiscally,” Tochi offered.   


Finn swallowed. “I understand.” If there was anything he understood, it was numbers.

“If Papa hadn’t listened to Uncle Hiram, Kalinda would probably be broke now.” Tochi looked like he was pleading with Finn to forgive them.  


“ _ I understand _ ,” Finn answered more forcefully.

Beside him, Poe was looking at Tochi speculatively. “Must have been hard growing up with a phantom older brother, huh?”

Tochi glared back. “That’s not-”

“I don’t think this is a particularly productive line of argument,” Dalia said gently. 

Finn met his mother’s eyes. “You said that only some people believe I was taken mistakenly.”

Dalia just sighed. “I have long believed that you were taken intentionally, in a plan to overthrow Bode’s reign.”

“Do you have proof?” 

“Not hard proof, no. Just a mother’s instincts. You had a favorite stuffed bear, and you never went anywhere without him. If you had gotten up from your nap, you would have taken him with you, and maybe he would have gone with you when they kidnapped you, or you would have dropped him along the way. But no, he was still in your bed, tucked next to your pillow. Like you hadn’t had a chance to pick him up because you were snatched while you were asleep.”

“Were there any suspects?” Poe asked, eyes intent.

“The house was full of workers getting ready for the coronation anniversary. Still, there were guards between the ballroom and the residence wing.”

“It’s why there’re cameras in the hallways now, isn’t it?”

“Yes. A loss of privacy so that tragedy may not strike again. There were protests, but Bode and I thought it best.”

“But nothing changed. You had another heir on the way,” Poe pointed out.

“We were going to be announcing my pregnancy at the ball that night. No one except me, Bode, and the royal physician knew, and we cleared him of suspicion quickly.”

“So why not try for Tochi after he was born, then? Or take you out when you were pregnant?” Poe was nothing if not persistent.

“Because then we would have known for a fact that it was Dayo, I mean Finn, who was the target, not the jewels.”

“But why would they just give up?” Poe sounded exasperated.

“Maybe they haven’t,” Finn said quietly. “Maybe they’re patient. That's why Mom thinks I was pushed today.”

Tochi crossed his arms over his chest, expression. “I’d like to think that’s not the most logical explanation, even if we’re going with mama’s theory.”

“You mean you’d  _ like to think _ I’m not in danger.”

“No,” Tochi ground out, “Actually, I’d like to think _my unborn daughter_ isn’t in danger.”

“If whoever stole Finn back then was aiming to destabilize Kalindan politics, then you’d do better not sticking your head in the sand,  _ King Emmanuel the Third, _ ” Poe bit out angrily. 

Finn shot up, unable to keep still any longer. “So, timeline. I get a genetics test done, checking the little box saying “yes you can use my blood for genetic research. Someone flags my blood, and then, mysteriously, King Samuel of Kalinda dies.”

“He had a stroke, Finn. It wasn’t mysterious.” Dalia’s voice was low and sad. 

“There are ways to fake that,” Poe murmured. All heads turned to him, but he refused to elaborate.

“So, mysteriously, then, the king dies, and when the council goes to check and make sure for one last time that Tochi is the true and rightful heir, wham, mysterious and sudden reappearance of the lost Prince? How will Tochi react to this new threat to his throne? How will the lost prince be able to resist this amazing life of glamour and his shot at power? Will the people of Kalinda believe in the prince they’ve known their whole life, or the one that’s appeared out of nowhere with a romantic tale of rags to riches? Will there be a civil war? Am I the only one this is making sense to!?” 

Finn paused, dangerously out of breath, heart beating rapidly, his vision wavering.

“Finn?”

Poe’s voice was the last thing Finn heard before he blacked out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> because every good fairytale needs a fainting episode, right?


	10. Cookies? Cookies.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe helps Finn recover.

Finn was already coming to when Poe began to lay him down on their bed. “Hey, buddy, welcome back. Just lie there a sec and breathe, okay?” He waited until he got a response, a slow nod from Finn, before turning away to sort through Finn’s luggage. Finding the prescription bottle, he popped a pill into his hand, then went to the bathroom for a glass of water. When he came back, Finn was still there, breathing evenly. 

“One pill and water on the nightstand if you want them, Finn, okay?”

Finn nodded again, and leaned over to take the pill. Setting the glass aside, he looked up at Poe, sad and tired, his voice the same when he asked, “Would you lie down with me?”

Poe’s breath caught in his throat and he coughed. “Yeah, sure, buddy.” Unsure of exactly what Finn intended, he climbed in on the other side of the bed and lay there, foot touching Finn’s. There was a rustling, and then Finn was wrapped around him, holding him tight around the chest. Poe stiffened, then relaxed. “Am I your new teddy bear then?” It was dangerously close to flirtation, and Finn was in no state of mind for that, except that there was a floaty feeling in his chest, something like hope.

“Are you applying for the position?” There was a teasing lilt to Finn’s voice, and the hope feeling grew stronger.

“Are you taking applications?” He snorted at the ridiculous statement, and Finn laughed before snuggling in further.

“Yeah, just one though. And between you and me, I think he’s a shoe-in.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” 

Poe pressed a kiss into Finn’s hair, vowing that they’d talk about this later, define...whatever this was. When Finn wasn’t so vulnerable.

“Do we have to be anywhere?” Finn asked sleepily.

“I doubt it. I didn’t really stick around to ask.”

“I’m just going to-” he broke off with a yawn. “-to close my eyes for a bit, then. Hate the post-attack sleepiness.”

Poe brought his arm over, pulling Finn closer. “Go to sleep, you’re safe.”

Poe watched as Finn’s eyes closed, watched his chest rise and fall evenly, calmly. A fierce protectiveness rose up in him, clawing at his throat. 

“Oh!” Finn exclaimed, popping up, looking like he was still half-asleep. “Cookies, Poe.”

“Cookies?”

Finn smiled, snuggling back into Poe’s side. “Cookies,” he mumbled agreeably.

No, there was no question in his mind that he’d give his life to protect Finn.

Finn’s fingers dug into Poe’s shirt a little. “Sometimes I fall asleep to podcasts, ya know.”

Poe wasn’t entirely sure Finn was awake to be telling him this, but he responded anyway. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Will you tell me a story?”

_ I will do anything for you. _ “Yeah, buddy. So there once was a kid who grew up in Florida. Miami, to be precise. And he kind of fucking hated it, and took the first chance he had to get out. He joined the military.” A little line furrowed between Finn’s brows, and Poe realized that he should probably be making the story happier. “But he survived, and he did get away, and he ended up in San Diego, where he met his Prince Charming.”

“Das’nice,” Finn mumbled against his chest, and Poe smiled, placing another kiss in his hair.

“It is nice. The kid’s not quite sure if he deserves the Prince, but the Prince seems to be giving him a chance anyway.” 

When that elicited no response, he decided that Finn was truly asleep, and he could bring himself to break away. He scooted out of Finn’s embrace, replacing himself with a pillow instead. Vowed that he’d be there for Finn later tonight. 

Right now, though, he needed to double check security. He pulled his tie off completely and tossed it over the couch as he pulled out his phone. Tapped through the apps until he got to the one that would show him the closed circuit monitors around the palace, and focused on the one for outside their suite. It had paid to make friends in the right places - in this case, with James and Michael and the rest of the security team. He expected to find the hallway empty, like it was when he normally checked it, but did a double take at the small figure slumped by their door. With a start, he realized it was the dowager queen.

Quietly, he opened the door, and she looked up, startled, her eyes stricken. She’d obviously been crying. He eased down beside her.

“Should I- should I get Tochi, or Marie? Ibrahim?”

Dalia shook her head, wiping away a tear. “I’m sorry, dear. I just- I’d like to know if he’s okay?”

“He’s sleeping. He took a pill, and he’s sleeping now.”There was some relief on her face, and she reached out her hand. Poe took it, awkward. When he realized how cold it was, he covered it with his other hand, enveloping hers.

“I know it’s not my place. But I can’t help feeling like I’m the one who should be comforting him. I looked after Bode so well, you see.” A sudden sob burst out of her. “I guess I  _ didn’t _ take care of Bode after all, if what you think is true.”

Poe bit down on his lip. He wanted to reassure her, tell her he was obviously wrong, but he couldn’t. Couldn’t lie to her. “I’m sorry,” he said instead.

She gripped his hand. “I can’t lose him. Not again. You...you have expertise in this sort of thing, I surmise.” 

“I...Yes. I do. It’s not necessarily something I  _ like _ having expertise in.”

“Sweet boy,” Dalia murmured, running her free hand over Poe’s cheek. Poe let his eyes fall closed. He didn’t want this. Didn’t want to be so easily forgiven. Dammit, that’s why he’d shut it away, hadn’t he? Moved to San Diego? Severed the limb and forgot about it? But obviously something had festered in the wound, and it wouldn’t let him go.

He opened his eyes again, determined. If protecting Finn meant delving into this side of himself that he’d wanted to shut off forever, then so be it. “We need a list.”

“A list?” Dalia dropped her hand, eyes sharpening through her tears. “Of suspects, I presume?”

Poe nodded. “People who stand to gain with Finn’s elimination.”

Dalia blanched at the phrasing, but nodded. “I imagine there’s paper inside. I can wait here, if you like.”

Poe frowned. “If either of your sons knew I let you sit on the floor for this long, I’m pretty sure they’d both throw me in that dungeon Tochi threatened me with.”

Dalia laughed a little. “We don’t even  _ have _ a dungeon. That boy.”

Poe pushed himself up, then held out his hands to pick the dowager queen up off the hallway floor. “ _Now_ you tell me.”

They entered the suite, and Poe brought a pad of paper and a pen over to the dining room table. All was still quiet behind the bedroom door, but they spoke in hushed voices as they made the list. It was hard to draw names from Dalia; she wasn’t ruthless or cutthroat in any shape or manner. Every name Poe suggested started a small argument, an amount of hemming and hawing and “oh, but they couldn’t!” When her stomach grumbled, and Poe yawned, he decided it was time, for now, to give up. 

“I’m sorry, Poe. I feel useless. And you look exhausted. Take a nap. And ring for dinner when Finn wakes up. I know just the thing to help both of you.”

Poe watched her stand, a little helpless. “It’s been weird, this week.”

She paused in the middle of stretching out her back. “Oh?”

“Watching Finn get to have a mom. Mine died when I was little. It’s one of the things we used to have in common. It’s just weird, I guess.”

With Poe seated, still, and Dalia standing, she towered over him only slightly, but enough to brush his curls away from his forehead and place a kiss there. “It’s something you can still have in common, you know.”

Poe blushed. “I wasn’t fishing for-”

“I know. You can still have it. Even if you don’t want to call me ‘mom’.” She brushed down his cheek. “Get some rest, Poe.”

Poe nodded, following her to the suite door so he could lock it behind her. “Keep thinking about the list,” he said to her retreating figure, even though he didn’t hold much hope in that regard.

After locking the door, he returned to the list, adding a few names. Experimentally, he wrote one particular name at the top of his list, then thought about it, tried to remove his initial biases, and crossed it off. He was still pondering the list when he set his head down and closed his eyes.


	11. that's how I roll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn, Poe, and Tochi try to unravel the conspiracy.

When Finn woke, it was fully dark in the bedroom. His arms were wrapped around a pillow, not Poe, he realized, as the blurry moments before the post-attack haze overtook him started to sink in. His heart beat a little faster. Whatever this was between them, Poe...Poe wanted it too, he was pretty sure. He squeezed the pillow, pretending it was Poe, before deciding to go in search of the baker. Groaning a little at the stiffness in his body from the impact, he rolled out of bed and changed his mind, heading to the bathroom. He took a quick shower, letting the warm water soothe his bruises. He tossed the ruined suit into a heap and opted for clothing that made him feel more like himself. The loose cords and t-shirt were soft on the abrasions from the fall. After an application of some of his lavender lotion, he felt like he was able to face reality again, face Poe again, to hash out whatever was between them, and he let himself into the greater suite. He found Poe bent over the desk, drooling on his arm. Finn paused a moment, taking in the sight. Poe, in sleep, looked so innocent and unassuming. Warmth spread through him as he remembered the way Poe had crushed him in his arms today after the attack. There was no way that was acting, no matter what kind of work Poe used to do and how good he was at it. Finn resisted the urge to brush through his curls, wanting to let him get some rest, and noticed that underneath his arm, Poe had a list of names: Ibrahim, Tochi, Hiram, General Odoh, several of the other council members. Tochi had been crossed out, though.

Poe awoke with a start and looked up blearily at Finn, then widened his eyes. “Finn! Are you okay? How are you feeling?”

Distracted from his earlier thoughts, nevertheless, Poe's immediate concerned warmed Finn down to his toes. “Way less sleepy. Sorry I woke you." Now he took the chance to brush his hand across Poe's hair, and Poe's eyes closed a little again with a small hum. A little unnerved at just how much he enjoyed it, Finn abruptly picked up the paper now that it wasn't trapped by Poe's arm, and changed the subject. "This a list of suspects?”

“It’s okay. Just catching a cat nap anyway. Yeah. Suspects. And I’m hoping someone is coming to help me - us - out a bit with it.” Poe nuzzled against Finn’s leg, pulling on him a little, and Finn smiled, allowing himself to fall onto Poe’s lap. “You smell good. You always smell good. Lavender.”

“It’s my lotion,” Finn said, feeling his face heat up.

“Is this okay? Before, when you said… it’s okay if that was just because you were tired.” Finn wasn’t sure if he’d ever heard Poe sound so vulnerable.

Somehow Poe's nervousness made Finn feel better, like he wasn't alone. He set the list down and wrapped his arms around Poe’s neck. “It’s okay, I like this. It feels nice." He nuzzled a little at Poe's neck. "And yeah, I meant it. I-”

There was a soft knock on the door. “Damn. Hold that thought.” Poe brought out his phone, showing Finn a monitor of what Finn quickly realized was right outside their suite. Tochi stood waiting, rather impatiently, along with a servant, Adisa, Finn recognized, with a rolling tray of food. “I had James patch me into the system a few days ago.”

Finn stood, and walked to the door, unlocking it and letting Tochi and Adisa in. To his surprise, Tochi immediately wrapped him in a hug, with a whispered, “Are you okay?” in his ear.

He nodded as the servant set up the food. “Yeah, I’m okay. Slept it off.”

Tochi gave a quick nod of his head, obviously waiting for Adisa to leave before he would say more. When she had, Poe locked the door behind her. “I’m glad you’re okay.” Tochi’s agitation seemed to melt a little. “Our mother and father were very good at hiding my father’s condition from me. Not completely, obviously, but since medication has improved so much over the years…”

“I, uh, I’m normally pretty good at hiding it, too,” Finn admitted. “It’s not exactly normal circumstances, though, so I guess I can cut myself some slack.”

Tochi gestured to the food. “Please, eat. Our mother sent it for you especially. Kalindan beef broth, with veggies. It was one of our father’s comfort foods.”

Finn sat at the table, uncovering the bowl, and Poe did the same. There wasn't much talk as they devoured the rich broth, full of soft vegetables and grains and large chunks of meat. Tochi grabbed a slice of bread and tore it into bits to eat it as they worked through their meal. When he was done, Finn felt full and warm and content. “That was incredible. Oh!” Finn popped up, running to the bathroom to the retrieve the cookies from his pocket, then running back to Tochi and Poe. “They got a little crushed during the...in my fall, but the crumbles are delicious, I bet.” He shook some cookie crumbles into their hands and sat back to nibble on his own. “So, we’re making a list of suspects, right?”

Tochi raised his eyebrow. “Is that why I’m here?”

Poe cleared his throat, dusting his hands from the final cookie crumbles. “Partially. We’ll get to that in a second. Now that I know Finn’s in more than just a vaguely unsafe position, I’d like to be granted access to the plans for the palace, and your security parameters. I’ve already got your videos, but I can fix some holes I’ve noticed.”

To Finn’s surprise, Tochi nodded easily. “That is sensible.”

Poe just grunted. “I need all of the keys to our suite, even the ones whatever type of housekeeping or maid service or whatever you have around here uses. Finn and I can take care of that kind of stuff ourselves. Believe me, we’re used to it,” he responded with a grin.

“As you like.” Tochi looked at the wall, toward the direction of the Queen’s suite. “I worry for my mother and my wife.”

“How disruptive would it be to, say, change all of the locks and make Ibrahim the master of the keys? You guys trust him, right?”

Tochi pursed his lips. “We are looking for someone who was alive when Dayo was taken, someone who possibly was working in the palace at the time. He would be on that list. And I notice he is on yours.” Tochi nodded at the paper on the table.

“That’s true. Let’s get to that now. I already worked with Dalia a little on this. I need your help with it too. We need a list of people who worked in the palace, or worked for the government, that are still here today. It’s not a complete list by a long shot, there’s always people who moved or got other jobs, but are still able to influence people here because they’d appear like an old comrade. The dowager queen had a hard time getting past the fact that these are all friends.”

“Names aren’t enough,” Finn broke in. “We need to figure out why. What do they stand to gain by stealing me as a baby, or eliminating me now? Who stands to gain if the kingdom is thrown into disarray by my sudden reappearance?”

“I am afraid I may know why, and I’m afraid it will narrow our list dramatically,” Tochi murmured, looking heartbroken. “Our father was a very modern ruler. The council represents the will of the people, as do the referendums that are put to popular vote. Our father made it a point to very rarely go against the will of the people, and I agreed - still agree - with his way of running the country. Our people deserve their voice.”

Finn nodded. “I agree.”

Poe tapped his chin in thought. “If the crown is losing its power - willingly - why would anyone want to do all of this just to take over a powerless position? I mean, beyond the wealth aspect, which obviously can’t be discounted.”

“Well, I have been planning on calling for a vote among the people. It’s the reason I am so glad you have decided to formally abdicate,” he said with a nod at Finn, “and why I was so nervous about discovering you and how you would react. As soon as I can declare it after the abdication, the people will vote on an amendment to our Constitution to strip me of my powers formally, making the Kalindan crown similar to the Queen of England. However, if something were to happen to me, like, for instance, if I was pushed out of the crown by an older brother, not only would my plan never see the light of day, but the new king could restore themselves to the old powers, like our grandfather and great-grandfather used. They weren't abusive, but this system, it can only lead to abuses. 'Absolute power...'" Tochi paused, letting them fill in the rest of the phrase themselves as he sighed heavily. "It’s only been our father’s politics, and now my own, that have led to giving more power to the people and less to the crown. That could all go away in the blink of a heartbeat.”

Finn’s head ached a little.  “So you want to be king so that you can stop being king, basically.”

Tochi grinned ruefully. “Basically.”

Poe groaned. “Got it.”

“And anyone who wanted to rule Kalinda for themselves would find it very hard to do so, legally, without some kind of coup, unless they act quickly,” Finn reasoned.

“Yes. And I’m sure you’d be interested to know who in Kalinda knows about my plan.”

“Very,” Poe and Finn said at the same time, then grinned at each other.

Tochi drew the suspect list to him. “I am gratified to see that my name has been crossed off this list.”

“Yeah, well, you weren’t alive when Finn was taken, so it bumped you down,” Poe replied. Finn glanced at him sharply. He felt like there was more to it than Poe was letting on, but he let it slide.

“You’ll be happy to know that my US military contacts have finally come through and verified your background as well.”

Poe shrugged. “I wasn’t worried.”

Tochi smiled and shook his head at Poe's easy arrogance, the way one might at a friend - or brother, Finn thought - then retrieved the pencil, and began crossing off names. “There,” he said when he was done, pushing the paper toward them again.

There was only one name left on the list: Uncle Hiram.

Finn thought of the grandfatherly old man who had been so welcoming to him. “Why Uncle Hiram?” he said with surprise.

Tochi's expression was stormy, betrayal written across his face. “He’s the only person, besides my wife, and now you two, that know of my plan. I didn’t even tell Mama. Uncle Hiram was around when you were kidnapped. And he’s the one who convinced my parents to stop looking for you. He’s the exchequer for the royal treasury.” Tochi looked down at his hands. “I used to think...that he’d done the right thing, convincing them to stop spending royal money on you, Finn.”

Finn shook his head. “One lost kid shouldn’t destabilize the economy of an entire country.”

“I don’t think I agree with you, now that I am to be a father.” Tochi’s fist clenched on the table.

Finn swallowed, then nodded, trying to accept the strange feeling of having a family that cared about his well-being. After a beat of silence, he continued. “So, we have a suspect, but we need proof. Obviously he’s not acting alone. Hiram wasn’t even on the street when I was pushed.”

“Conveniently,” Poe added.

“I can read numbers. I mean, like, forensic accounting. If you got me a copy of the books Hiram has been supposedly keeping for the treasury all this time, I could see if I could find something in there?”

“The treasury reports must be published quarterly. I could get you those?”

“That might work,” Finn replied, chewing on his lip. “It’d be easier if I had access to the computer where he did his work.”

“The final ball, tomorrow night, the pre-abdication celebration, is at Hiram’s compound, since the abdication will take place here at the palace the next day.”

“I’d imagine he has security, though.” Finn sighed.

Tochi glanced at Poe. “You might want to ask your boyfriend about that.”

There was silence as Finn looked between Tochi and Poe, then Tochi stood. “I must get back to my wife. I do not feel safe leaving her alone right now.”

Finn nodded, standing himself. “Tell Marie I said ‘hi.’” He tried not to stiffen when Tochi pulled him into another hug. He could get used to this, he promised himself.

“I will. Tochi pulled back from the hug, his hand still on Finn's good shoulder, and looked down at Finn’s shirt. “I have to admit, brother, that I do not understand your shirt.”

Finn glanced down. He’d managed to snag the tee with a line of various-sided dice, the colors of the rainbow, with the words ‘that’s how I roll’ beneath them. “It’s...oh...uh, it’s a gay thing. And a nerd thing. Mostly a nerd thing.”

Tochi looked like he was suppressing a smile. “Good night, Finn, Poe.” With a nod, he was out the door, and Poe made sure to lock it behind him.

Poe turned back to him and eyed him up and down. Finn shivered, aware of how different Poe’s gaze felt than Tochi’s. “I, on the other hand, understand your shirt completely.” He came to stand in front of Finn, hands in his pockets, so frustratingly near and far at the same time. “And I love it.”

Finn still wasn’t sure why Poe was different for him than any other man he'd ever met in his life, why he felt things for Poe, wanted to do things with Poe. But he knew, at this moment, exactly what he  _did_ want to do. He pulled Poe to him and covered Poe’s mouth with his.


	12. Talking it out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the kiss.
> 
> The release schedule for this week will be a little different (in your favor!). Chapters today and Wedsnesday, then the final three chapters will be released Friday-Saturday-Sunday as a little celebration for my American readers over the holiday weekend. Why go shopping on Black Friday when you can stay in, snuggle up in a blanket, and read Prince Finn?

_ Jesus Christ _ . Finn was in his arms, pressed sweetly against his body, mouth covering his, the kiss innocent and chaste, but perfect because Poe knew without a doubt it wasn’t an act for either one of them.

He pulled back, just enough to rest his forehead on Finn’s. “I think we should talk,” he said quietly.

Finn took a breath to steady himself and nodded. “I think we should too.” Finn led him to the couch, sitting so he was pressed up against Poe, their fingers tangled together. He chewed on his lip. “You haven't really had a choice in this whole thing - coming to Kalinda, pretending to be my boyfriend. I don't want to pressure you into anything,” Finn whispered.

“I don't want you to think I'm interested because maybe you're rich all of a sudden,” Poe admitted back to him.

Finn sat up straight. “Shit, that hadn't even occurred to me. Should it?”

Poe laughed softly. “I mean…”

Finn squeezed their hands together. “You're interested, though?”

_ All or nothing _ , Poe thought. “Fuck, Finn, I've been interested for years.” Finn’s soft brown eyes looked back at him, surprised.

“You have?”

This time, Poe’s laugh was self-deprecating. “Yeah, I've been crushing on you since, oh, probably the Valhalla campaign.”

Finn’s eyes slid away, obviously embarrassed, which seemed like an odd reaction to Poe. “I'm so sorry I never noticed.”

_ Hm. _ Poe shrugged. “It's okay. It's not like I ever acted on-”

“No, it's not!”

“Finn-”

Obviously angry at himself, Finn clenched his free hand into a fist. “I don't know what's wrong with me.”

Poe's brows snapped together.  _ Getting to the heart of the matter, then.  _ “What do you mean 'what's wrong with you?'”

“I don't feel...things like other people do. Robot Finn.” Finn bit down on his lip, and Poe wanted to nip in for himself, but he wanted even more for Finn to continue. “It’s so personal.” Finn was silent for a moment. “It’s so personal, but you’re the first person I’ve ever wanted to tell.”

At Finn continued silence, Poe prompted, “Tell me what?”

“I can tell that people are attractive. Like, I mean, obviously, look at Idris Elba, hello.”

“I'll gladly look at Idris Elba all day,” Poe replied, voice dry.

“See? I can tell when people are attractive. But you know how people make their celebrity fuck lists? That has no appeal to me. Like yeah, Idris’s hot, but I don't want him to fuck me.”

Poe placed his hand on Finn’s knee, squeezing. “Finn, it’s okay if you don’t want to have sex. That’s not...I mean, yeah, I’d like to, but that’s not why I like you. If you’re asexual, that’s okay. We can make this work.”

Finn flushed and shook his head. “It’s not that, or I don’t think it is. I’m not really sure what asexual means although I can hazard a guess, and I don't think...” He placed his hand over Poe’s. “That’s why it’s so weird. I have never actually felt like having sex with anyone, until you. And not until I realized how much you mean to me. Not as a friend. How is that not weird?”

“You’re not weird,” Poe growled. He pressed a kiss to Finn’s clothed shoulder, and Finn shivered. “You’re perfectly Finn, and that’s okay.” He cupped Finn’s face. “You want my decidedly non-expert opinion?”

Eyes shiny, Finn nodded.

“I think you might be demisexual.”

A tear spilled over and Poe brushed it away with his thumb. “What’s that?” Finn whispered, sounding scared.

“Shhh, baby. It’s okay. Nothing weird, I promise. They’re just people who need an emotional connection to feel sexual attraction.”

Finn took a deep breath in and out. “There are other people like me? I’m not...not a freak?”

“You’re not a freak, baby. I- it’s- I feel lucky, actually.”

“Lucky?”

Poe brushed his lips across Finn’s forehead. “Yeah. Because I feel it too, this emotional connection. And it’s always nice to know you’re not alone.”

Finn made a choked sound, something between a laugh and a sob. “I’m not alone.”

“You’re not alone.”

Finn crawled closer, and Poe pulled him up into his lap, into a straddle. Finn lowered his head and brushed his lips across Poe’s, then deepened the kiss, making soft sounds in his throat that were driving Poe crazy.

He pulled back, resting his cheek on Poe’s. “Tonight’s the first time in my life a kiss actually felt like it meant something, rather than a really uncomfortable yet highly effective way to pass germs.”

Poe laughed softly, nuzzling against his cheek. “I’m honored.” He drew Finn back, sliding his lips open and angling, to get at Finn better. He darted his tongue across Finn’s lips, urging him to open. With a sigh, Finn did, and Poe sank in. He slid his fingers along Finn’s jaw, hoping he’d open wider, and Finn complied, then thrust his tongue deep into Poe’s mouth. Poe choked in surprise, then laughed a little, pulling back.

“Did I do it wrong?” Finn chewed on his lip, and Poe’s gaze slid down to where his teeth had sunk in. Unable to resist, he leaned in and captured Finn’s bottom lip between his teeth gently, before morphing the move into a kiss that had Finn moaning.

“Not wrong,” Poe breathed when he’d pulled back. “Just a little eager, maybe. I loved it, I just wasn’t expecting it.”

“I’m not...I haven’t done a lot.” Finn’s gaze slid to the bed, then back to Poe’s. “I’m a virgin.”

Poe nodded, cupping Finn’s neck and resting his forehead on Finn’s. “But no pressure on me to make this perfect for you, right?”

Finn smiled, then laughed. “Yeah. No pressure.”

Poe settled his hands on Finn’s hips. “How’m I doing so far?”

“Blowing the competition out of the water.”

Poe pressed a kiss to Finn’s neck. “So are you. God, I love the smell of you, right here.” He continued to nuzzle, sucking a little but mindful not to leave a mark, not with the abdication ceremony coming up. He sighed, breathing in deeply, and stopped, resting his head on Finn’s chest. “I’d like to tell you about my past, Finn.”

Finn’s palm was soft on his cheek. “You don’t have to. Not now, not ever.”

Poe could hear the steady thumping of Finn’s heart through the soft cotton shirt. “I need to. Need you to know what I’ve done.”

Finn’s fingers stroked through his curls. “Go ahead, honey.”

“I can’t even tell you a lot. Details, I mean. I was involved in a lot of...things...that I’d rather not talk about, and if I did and the wrong ears heard it, let’s just say some people in the US government wouldn’t be so happy with me.” Poe centered himself on the steady brush of Finn’s fingers and the strong heartbeat he heard. “There are some governments that don’t...exist anymore because of me. There are some people who don’t, either.” He paused, let Finn take it in. “The conspiracy we’ve been talking about, it’s something I could have done, Finn. Right down to the fake stroke. It's been killing me that I participated in things like that willfully, but now it's worse because I keep picturing you or Tochi or Dalia in place of the people I-” He choked on his words. “I hate that I used to be that person.” The silence after his statement ate Poe up, and he wished Finn wasn’t on top of him so that he could pace off this guilt and anxiety. 

Then, Finn cupped his face, and drew him into a sweet kiss. “I think I’m in love with you,” he said against Poe’s lips, barely above a whisper.

“Finn-”

“I think I’m in love with you, and sure, maybe you just added to the definition of ‘you’ for me, but it doesn’t change the fact that you walked away. You walked away from that, you survived, and you found your niche in San Diego. You built a place for you to be you, and for me to be me. Everyone who walks into Poe’s Place knows that they’ll be accepted for who they are. I think I’m in love with you, and I know who I mean when I say that. I mean the Poe Dameron that holds veterans’ meetings, and gives kids free cinnamon rolls for perfect school attendance. The Poe Dameron that made a name for his tiny little shop, his dream. The Poe Dameron that, on a whim, put that dream in the hands of someone else, just so he could be sure I’d be safe. Yes, that’s the same Poe Dameron who has a shady past, but it’s also the same Poe Dameron that regrets what he’s done.”

“ _ Finn. _ ” He pulled Finn’s head down to his, and capture Finn’s lips in a crushing kiss, elation flying high through him. It wasn’t absolution he was feeling - he wasn’t sure he’d ever feel absolved for what he’d done in the name of the US - but acceptance, at least. The knowledge that Finn would be there for him as he worked on accepting himself, just like he’d be there for Finn. 

When Finn began to roll his hips, grinding their clothed cocks together, Poe pulled back, hands steadying Finn’s hips. “Finn, baby, that feels amazing, but if we don’t stop, I’m _definitely_ going to ravish you, and then your brother is _definitely_ going to challenge me to a duel.”

Finn gazed into his eyes, a determined look on his face. “It’d be interesting to see who’d win that. My money’s on you.” He slid off Poe’s lap slowly. As he stood, he pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the floor. “I’ve waited this long, Poe.” He popped the button open on his cords. “You going to make me wait longer?” He turned on his heel and headed toward their bedroom, leaving Poe’s mouth hanging open as he followed him with his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, here's the plot summary of the next chapter:
> 
> Part 13 Wednesday 11/23  
> Finn POV  
> SEX


	13. What a fun, sexy time for you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's The Sex(TM)!

Finn wasn’t sure his heart had ever pounded harder outside of exercise or a panic attack. As he stood facing the bed, his hand rested, unsure, on the fly of his cords, listening for a reaction from Poe. Suddenly, Poe was behind him, hand covering his. “Let me,” he whispered in Finn’s ear.

Poe’s other hand smoothed over Finn’s stomach, and he felt his muscles quiver there. 

“It dawned on me, as you walked away, that I didn’t say it back.” Poe’s lips pressed into his collarbone, bared to him now.

Finn’s heart leapt. “Say what back?” he said, breathy, though he knew.  _ He knew. _

“I love you.” Poe nibbled on his ear and Finn shuddered. He felt Poe pulling off his own clothes. “I love you so much, and you deserve your own list why.” He pushed Finn’s cords over his hips, taking his briefs with them, and then pulled Finn down onto the bed.

They lay facing each other, and Poe reached out to caress Finn’s cheek. “I want to love on you, Finn. I want to show you, tell you how I feel. But I don’t want to push you too far. You set the boundaries here, okay?”

Finn nodded and licked his lips, feeling a little powerful amidst all the excitement. “Okay.”

"I also want you to know you're safe-"

"Of course I feel safe with you, Poe," Finn interrupted.

"No, I meant, my last test showed me negative for everything, so you don't need to worry about that."

Finn jolted. "Oh, right. Uh. I've never been tested, but, uh, considering my lack of having ever been this close to someone in bed before..."

Poe grinned. “Who says we have to stick to a bed?" At Finn's blush, he leaned in to kiss Finn's hot cheek. "I meant it, before. I don’t care if I’m in the middle of blowing you. You feel uncomfortable at all, I will stop. I promise.”

Finn smiled, his cheeks turning hotter by the second and Finn couldn't exactly pinpoint whether it was embarrassment or arousal. He hoped the latter, because he was old enough to not get embarrassed over this kind of stuff, right? “Okay. You gonna do that, though? Bl-blow me?” _Yes, good,_ very _mature sounding, Finn_ , he admonished himself.  


Poe’s grin turned wicked. “If you want.”

Finn swallowed the embarrassment and went with the truth. “Fuck, Poe, I want.”

Poe shifted, pushing Finn gently onto his back. “Okay. Well, the prince gets what the prince wants, right?” Finn’s laughter was muffled by Poe’s kiss. He left his mouth quickly, though, in favor of his jaw, then his neck, then the sensitive spot - well, Finn was just now finding out how sensitive it was - below his ear. “I love you, Finn Johnson. When I saw you go down in the street today, I thought, 'oh God, there goes the love of my life, and he never even knew.'" Poe's voice sounded stricken, and Finn reached up with one of his hands to cup Poe's cheek. Poe closed his eyes for a second, then turned to place a kiss in the palm of Finn's hand. "I love that you’re quiet, and a good listener.” He dusted kisses over Finn’s chest, making Finn squirm. He was pretty sure this was the hardest his cock had ever been. “I love how you look in glasses, all studious and serious. I love that you prioritize your self care. Especially ‘cause do you even know how fucking good you look in downward dog. Christ. Your ass. Your arms. Your shoulders. I mean, I knew you filled out a t-shirt well, but damn.” Finn’s laugh turned into a strangled cry when Poe latched his lips over Finn’s nipple.

“Oh shit. You’re welcome to join me. Helps me re- re-  _ shit _ \- lax before bed.”

Poe lifted his head, his eyes burning into Finn’s. “You could add another step to your self-care routine.”

“Oh?” Poe was kissing over his stomach now, and Finn could barely push out the sound.

“Yeah. Me.” Without further fuss, Poe stretched his lips over Finn’s cock, rolling his tongue around the head to sweep up the precum that had been leaking there.

“Shit, shit, shit, Poe.  _ Poe. _ ” 

Poe popped off. “You okay, Finn?”

“Don’t stop! Yes! Okay! Hunky dory!”

Poe snickered, then lowered his head again. Finn had masturbated before, out of curiosity, to see if there was something wrong with him, but the pleasant friction he’d felt, followed by the little pop of his orgasm, didn’t even fucking hold a candle to what Poe was doing with his mouth.  _ Poe loves me _ . He watched as Poe bobbed, taking in all he could, using his hand to stimulate the rest. He saw Poe’s hips grind into the bed, rubbing himself - Poe was getting off on this, on bringing Finn pleasure. His eyes slid up to Finn’s, and the happiness there, the love, that’s what pushed Finn over, rocking his hips into Poe’s mouth, his orgasm tearing through him. His cum filled Poe’s mouth, dribbling out the side in a little white rope, and Finn was amazed that the sight turned him on. Finn watched as Poe’s Adam’s apple worked, swallowing Finn’s cum down even as he reached to start jacking himself. Finn tangled his fingers in Poe’s hair, tugging a little accidentally.

Poe moaned. “Again, harder.” His hand was a blur on his cock. Unsure, Finn tugged a little harder at Poe’s hair, not enough to pull it out, but enough that Poe, apparently, could feel it. Poe stiffened, then shuddered, trying to catch his cum in his hand so it wouldn’t get the sheets dirty. 

Poe rolled to his back, and they both panted. “That was…”

Finn rubbed a hand over his own stomach, content. “Fucking amazing. Holy fuck. And that wasn’t even fucking.”

Poe grinned at him. “Something to look forward to.” They both rolled out of bed to clean up and pajamas, and even though Finn felt relaxed, went through his self-care routine - with one change: Poe joined him for tea, and watched intently as he went through his yoga routine. If Finn showed off his plank for a few more seconds than he needed to, because he could see Poe biting down on his lip out of the corner of his eye, well, that was neither here nor there, was it?  When he was done, Finn  led Poe back to the bedroom, gathered Poe in his arms, and let Poe pull the covers over them. 

Finn snuggled Poe closer. "I get the hype, don't get me wrong. That was great. Except it just seems so...messy and personal?"

"We don't have to do anything you don't want to do. Ever. I mean it, Finn."

"No, no. It's just...weird to think about doing it with anyone but you. I don't want anyone else to know me like that. See me like that."

Poe smiled up at him. "I am a-okay with that, babe."

Finn pursed his lips, wondering now about this world that Poe had opened up for him. "Do _you_ have normal ... uh, urges, I guess?"

"Finn, you are _not_ _ab_ normal," Poe replied with a frown.

"No, I meant- okay, fine," Finn conceded at Poe's continued stern face. "Fine, I'm not abnormal. But gay or straight, society has certain expectations about the male sex drive that I have never lived up to in my entire life, and I just wanted to know-" He broke off, took a deep breath, searched for a way to word it that didn't denigrate himself. "I want to know where you stand. I mean, you're the one that mentioned your testing status earlier, so..."

Poe chewed his lip in thought. "I'm not sex-repulsed by people I don't know. I can look at a stranger and think, 'damn, he's hot, I'd tap that,' but kind of jokingly, you know? I don't...I don't let people into my life easily. You were the first person, and now Rey, I guess, that I let into my apartment in San Diego. It's not that I didn't spend the last few years not thinking or fantasizing about having sex with someone - you, for the last two and a half years at least - but I never met anyone I wanted to...let in, so to speak. I just kind of...resigned myself to being alone." Before Finn could respond, Poe sighed heavily. "Which isn't true. I know I'm not alone. I know I have all the regulars at the shop, and the campaign group. I resigned myself to letting those relationships fill in the gap for me. And it worked, most of the time." He ran a hand over the soft t-shirt covering Finn's chest. "When a certain accountant didn't stick around after hours, helping me close up the shop and making sure I got to my car safe, torturing me with his quiet concern for my life and his glasses and his-" Poe broke off to press a kiss to the arm Finn had draped over him. "His amazing pair of guns." Finn laughed, and pulled Poe tighter in a hug before releasing him a little. "Mmm, yeah, that's the stuff." They laughed again quietly, and Finn marveled over the fact that this was his life now - not the Prince Finn part, that could all go stuff itself, as far as Finn was concerned. No, the part where he got to hold this amazing man in his arms, and laugh with him in bed, and eat cookies and milk with him, and- "Does that make sense?" Poe finally asked into the silence of the bedroom, interrupting Finn's thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm glad you waited for me." He pressed a kiss into Poe's curls.

"Worth it, one-hundred percent. I'm glad you chose me."

"Worth it, one hundred percent."

Poe sighed, laying his head on Finn's chest. “I love you. I’m terrified I won’t be able to protect you tomorrow night.”

Finn squeezed Poe closer. “I’m worried about the exact same thing.”


	14. Self-Sacrificing Noble Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn and Poe execute their op to find information to prove Hiram is the bad guy.

When he woke, he was no longer wrapped in Finn’s arms, which was a pity, but he was snug against his side, his head pillowed on Finn’s chest. Poe could hear his lungs fill, his heartbeat, both steady and reassuring.  _ Gonna keep you that way, Finn. _

He lifted himself off Finn reluctantly. If he wanted to plan the op for tonight, he needed to get to work with Tochi and James. He headed for the shower, planning on leaving a note for Finn. 

His plans changed when Finn entered the bathroom. He’d known the second Finn entered the space, but let himself be snuck up on anyway. He was rewarded when Finn’s arms slipped around his waist. “Good morning.”

Finn pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Good morning. Want to test the hot water limits of the palace?”

Poe’s laughed echoed off the tile walls. “I’d love to, babe, but I need to get going. Tonight’s op.”

“Guess we could go for a quickie, then.” Finn turned him, pressing him into the tile to kiss him, their hardening cocks grazing each other below. “You amenable?”

“Fuck yeah.” He let Finn take the lead this time, because damn, he was doing a fine job by himself, pressing Poe against the tile and kissing him with all he had. What he lacked in technique he made up for with enthusiasm, sliding his hand around their slick cocks and rubbing them together. They were still kissing when Poe came, Finn muffling his moans, adding his own. Finn followed quickly after, sagging against Poe, sliding his lips off finally to nuzzle at Poe’s neck. “Fuck, Finn. I didn’t realize you had this in you.”

Finn’s chuckle was soft and deep. “Neither did I.” He stepped back, grabbing the shampoo and making a little ‘turn around’ motion to Poe. “I’ll do your hair, you do mine?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

By the time Poe was dressed, he had a definite spring in his step that would make figuring out how to keep everyone alive tonight just a little easier. He walked Finn to Tochi and Marie’s wing, because Finn had promised to come visit with Marie about how the tour had gone. To his surprise, Tochi invited Poe in as well. “I needed a spot where Hiram wouldn’t dare oversee anything. Since he has free reign of most of the palace, my office here, pass coded, seemed the best.”

He led Poe back to the room, where James and Michael were already pouring over plans. Poe looked at the diagram of Hiram’s house, saw how far the home office was from the area where the ball would be. “We’re going to need a distraction, some excuse for why Finn’s away from the ballroom for a long time.”

“How’s Finn at acting?”

Poe thought of the week of fake intimacy he’d just had to endure. But had it been fake, really? “I’m not sure,” he murmured. 

Tochi pursed his lips. “Hmm, well, look this over. It’s what we came up with last night.”

Poe blushed. “You guys worked last night? You should have let me help.”

Tochi grinned, thumping him on the shoulder. “After that display yesterday in the street, I thought you might need a little alone time with my brother.”

Poe hadn’t been aware that it was possible to blush even harder than he had been, but apparently it was. He coughed. “Uh, thanks.”

“Let’s figure out the best way to keep our family safe, huh?”

Lunch and several pots of coffee later, they had a plan to lay out for Finn, and, to Poe’s surprise, Marie. “She’s brilliant,” Tochi offered simply.

More coffee, and they had something they thought would work. They brought Dalia in.

After going over the plan a few more times, everyone had just enough time to shower and change before piling in the limo for the ball. Tochi was fidgeting because Marie was going along; it would be expected that the Queen show up, even in her advanced stage of pregnancy, unless she had doctor’s orders not to. “Stop worrying,” she chided Tochi. “I’ve worked in lands ruled by warlords, I can handle this.”

When Tochi placed a hand on her stomach and whispered in her ear, Finn and Poe turned away, giving them a modicum of privacy. Instead, Poe took Finn’s hand, and they struck up a conversation with Dalia.

The ball was every bit as sumptuous as all the others they’d been to. Finn began on his part of the plan right away, fidgeting and noticeably stuttering in front of Hiram. Hiram eyed him shrewdly - Dalia had told them that those were his father’s two biggest tells, and Finn was using them like a champ. When Finn sloshed his champagne on Poe, Poe worried he might be overselling it, but he swore he saw the glint in Hiram’s eye. Dalia placed her arm on Hiram’s. “He suffers from the same disorder as Bode, Hiram. Do you have a place he could settle?”

“And a place I could clean up?” Poe added, pointing at his champagne-covered shirt.

“Of course. Let me just call over Fatima.” He signalled in the air.

Fatima glided over in mile high heels and a sleek silver dress. “Yes, sir?”

“Please show the Prince and his consort to my sitting room. Bring them anything they request.”

“Yes, sir.” Fatima nodded, then turned, allowing Finn and Poe to trail after her, Finn wringing his hands all the while. 

Once Fatima opened the double doors to the sitting room, Poe hurried Finn over to the couch, shoving his head between his knees. “Breathe, honey.” He nodded at Fatima. “We don’t need anything else, now, except some quiet. Could you shut the doors behind you? We can still hear the music of the ball. The Prince needs absolute silence.”

Fatima eyed the scene doubtfully, until Finn wheezed. “Of course, sir. Right away.” She clipped out, pulling the doors shut behind her.

“Ugh,” Finn said, leaning up again.

“Sorry, Finn, I didn’t mean to push too hard.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just not used to doing that lucidly.”

Poe crossed the room and locked the sitting room door. “With any luck, she’ll think we’re engaging in some fun and leave us alone. C’mon.” 

With Finn’s help, they managed to wedge open one of the windows. The sitting room and Hiram’s office shared a wall, but no entranceway except the hallway - and a window ledge. When they climbed out, they could hear the tinkling noises of the party spilling out onto the garden lawn. “It’s too early for anyone to be canoodling in the garden, right?” Finn whispered, glancing down worriedly.

“It’s never too early for canoodling. We better hurry.” Poe stepped out onto the narrow ledge, barely wide enough for his foot, and began shuffling down. If they fell, they’d be fine - they were on the first floor, after all - but they’d have to explain why they were in the garden, and why the window was open. And they’d lose their chance at the office, since the ledge was high enough that if they fell off, they wouldn’t be able to make it up again. 

Finn came out after him, and together they shuffled along the ledge. When they reached the next window, Poe used all of his strength to shove it open, almost tumbling inside in the process. The room was pitch black. Not wanting Fatima to see the light below the door, if she was still lurking about, Poe pulled out a pen light and searched the room. Spying the desktop, Poe hooked his phone up to it and booted up, using his phone to break past any passwords.

“You’re going to have to set up one of those phones for me,” Finn said over his shoulder, voice impressed.

“That would technically be illegal.”

“Isn’t it technically illegal for you to have it, since, you know, you’re not Special Ops anymore.”

“I mean, if you want to get technical...ha! There you go, babe. Have at it.” 

Finn pulled out his glasses and sat down at the computer as Poe started to explore the drawers of the desk, careful not to disturb any stacks of papers. On the screen, Finn was looking at long columns of numbers. “Seriously, why do they do this? I swear, criminals can never resist keeping two sets of books.”

“You found something already?”

“Maybe. Does The First Order sound like something important?”

Poe shrugged. “What do you have on ‘em?”

“Serious amounts of cash from the treasury being funneled to them. With an uptick corresponding with my dad’s death two months ago.”

“Maybe the First Order are the guys Hiram hired to help him execute his plan? Like mercenaries?”

“Payments to them go back years. I mean, as far as these digital books go back. Who knows how long Hiram has been doing this?”

“Probably as long as he’s been exchequer, the weasel.” 

In the split second that Poe heard footsteps outside the hallway and the doorknob start to turn, he’d shoved Finn under the desk and sat at the computer himself. When Fatima entered slowly, pointing a gun straight at his chest, he rose, hands in the air. 

“Where’s the Prince?”

“He went back to the party. He was feeling better.”

Fatima grunted. “And what are you doing here?” She took a step toward the desk. 

Throwing caution to the wind, Poe stepped around the desk, hands still raised. “I was sent by the US government to gather intelligence on the political situation in Kalinda. We thought this was the perfect opportunity, you see. But the thing is, I’m a little more...flexible in my allegiances than they’d like. In other words, I’m willing to trade you valuable information, for my life.”

Fatima’s lip curled in disgust. “Or,” she growled, “I take you now, torture the information out of you, then sell you to the highest bidder.”

_ Whatever gets me out of this room and away from Finn the fastest. _ He allowed Fatima to shove the gun in his back as she pushed him forward and out of the room. He took one last glance in the door before Fatima shut it, and saw Finn grab his phone from the table.

She led him away from the party and down, down into a basement or a sub-basement. She unlocked a door using a keypad and tossed him inside. She nodded down the hallway, then angled her head toward Poe. “You two. Soften him up.”

Poe swallowed as two white-uniformed guards entered the room. He willed himself to relax his jaw muscles as the first fist descended. He knew how to take a beating; had been trained, both by the military and by field experience. If you needed to take a beating to gain someone’s trust, you did so.

He watched Fatima coolly as the men continued to beat him. He’d have a black eye come morning, but he could see her well enough. At a pause in the beating, he spat blood from his mouth and addressed her. “The royalty of Kalinda will not be intimidated by you.”

Her lip curled and she nodded at the men. The next blow struck him across the head, dazing him a bit, and he fell over before he could catch himself. The cool cement on his cheek stung, but had the effect of rousing him a little. “I should have realized when I first saw you that I recognized you.”

This was enough to get Fatima’s attention. Her eyebrows rose. “Oh?” She held her hand up, and the beating stopped.

“Yeah. One infiltrator to another. You’re not here for whatever this First Order shit is. You don’t believe in  _ the cause _ . You’re just here to get a paycheck.”

Fatima walked slowly to him, pinning him to the floor with one heel, gun leveled at his eye. “You know no-”

Her cellphone beeped frantically in her pocket. Annoyed, she looked down at the read out and frowned.

“Uh oh, that Hiram? SOS call?” Poe taunted.

“Stand guard,” she snarled, “while I take care of this.”

“He’s going to lose, and he’s going to take you down with him, Fatima. I know your type. You don’t want that.” It was a desperate play, Poe knew, but sometimes, Poe’s tongue was the only weapon available to get him out of a bind. Even if it couldn’t help him now - by the stormy expression on Fatima’s face, it wasn’t currently helping him - if he could take Fatima out of Hiram’s hands, maybe Finn would have a chance-

“You think you’re so clever, hmm?” Fatima’s heel dug into Poe’s chest. “We’ll see who wins.” 

Poe saw the gun come down, braced himself for it, and as the white burst of pain was still crashing through his system, heard the dungeon room lock, leaving him cold, alone, and slightly delirious.


	15. BAMFinn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's BAMF Prince Finn off to rescue the damsel in distress. (He may also be a little distressed)

It took Finn a moment under Hiram's desk to stop shaking and assess his options. It was logical that Fatima would come back here, see if she could tell what Poe had been up to. She might even bring Hiram in. He definitely could not stay here. This, his mind agreed on, but he was having a hard time getting his body to move. Fucking Poe had just...just sacrificed himself for Finn, and now Finn  _ had to _ figure out a way to rescue him just so he could kill Poe himself for putting himself in that kind of danger. 

“C’mon, go,” he whispered fiercely to his body, and there it was, his limbs, moving. 

He stuffed his glasses and Poe’s phone, the only evidence they had loaded on it, into his pocket, and slipped back out the window. He could hear people in the garden now, and since there was no longer a need to be found in the sitting room, he dropped down easily to the grass below, absorbing the impact in his knees. He walked casually through the sculpted bushes, picking up the pace a little when he saw Tochi and Marie. He grabbed a champagne glass to blend in and slid into their group, making eyes with Tochi. Smooth as ever, a natural born king, Tochi nodded at the other guests and his wife, and angled away so that he and Finn could talk privately.

“They have Poe,” Finn whispered. “Hiram’s scary personal assistant or whatever she is - Fatima? - took him away. We got caught and Poe handed himself over to save me.” Finn’s voice got slightly louder as the panic fought its way in again. He gritted his teeth, trying to fight it.

“Do you have the evidence?”

“I have...something. Do you know what the First Order is?”

Tochi’s eyes went wide. “Mostly from rumors and legend. Father never believed they existed. They’re an ancient cabal. Legend says that they used to have a great influence over the king and politics of Kalinda. But they don’t exist.”

“Hiram thinks they do, the way he’s been pouring crown money into their coffers.”

Tochi pursed his lips. “Tell me, brother, do you ever play poker in that gaming shop of Poe’s?”

Finn furrowed his brows together. “No, it’s normally tabletop games or rpgs, or-”

“Okay, okay. Well, I think it’s time we showed our hand. If we can stop Hiram now, we can force him to tell us where he put Poe, okay?”

“How are we going to stop him?”

“We’re going to expose him.” Tochi glanced back at his wife. “Let me get Marie and Mama on their way back to the palace.”

Finn nodded. “I’ll find Mom.”

Though he was less artful than Tochi at kingly matters like small talk, he managed to get Dalia away from the crowd and update her. Within minutes, the story that Marie was tired and Dalia was accompanying her home was circulating through the crowd. At the limo, Dalia pulled Finn down to kiss his cheek. “I just found you, Finn. Don’t get stolen from me again.”

He returned the kiss. “I won’t, Mom, I promise.”

The women on their way home, accompanied by Michael, Tochi and Finn turned back to the party. “Who are we telling?”

“Someone our father trusted above most others.” Back in the crowd, Tochi went to work, pulling aside first Hiram, and then General Odoh. “An urgent matter has come to our attention. Can we speak privately?”

Hiram led them back to the sitting room where this had all started, typing on his phone quickly as he went. Hard to believe Finn had been here with Poe only what, a little over an hour ago? 

“Is this about the spy I discovered tonight? You assured me, Tochi, that his background check had cleared.” Hiram sounded less like a grandfather now, and more like an angry old man.

“Spy? What?” General Odoh sputtered.

“Poe’s not a spy, and you’re going to tell me where you took him!” Finn cried furiously.

“I understand that you’re upset, Finn, but he was found in a very compromising position. I have had him detained for further questioning, at what I assumed would be your majesty’s pleasure. I’m so sorry this has happened, Finn. It’s so hard to face when someone has betrayed you.”  _ Now _ the grandfather act came back, and Finn wanted to shudder when Hiram placed a comforting hand on his arm.

“You’re right, Uncle Hiram. It is so hard to face when someone has betrayed you." Tochi’s voice barely contained the anger he practically vibrated with. "You killed our father. You attempted to kill Finn yesterday. You stole him from us, forever fracturing our family. You will answer for all that you have done, Hiram.”  


“What are you talking about, Tochi?” Though General Odoh still sounded confused, he took a step from Hiram and looked at him with suspicion.

Finn took the phone out of his pocket. “I have proof, proof that goes back years, of Hiram’s involvement with a group known as the First Order. Numbers don’t lie, Hiram. Especially the particularly large transactions the day before and the day after my father’s death.”

“May I see, Prince Finn?” asked General Odoh, before glaring at Hiram. “If this is accurate…”

“It is.” Finn handed the phone over. General Odoh scrolled through the numbers on it. 

Nodding, he said, “Yes, this is very damning evidence indeed.” Then, before either Tochi or Finn realized what was happening, he threw the phone against the wall, where it smashed to pieces and fell to the floor. 

“I- what- why-” Finn sputtered. Beside him, Tochi was in a similar state of shock.

“Do you really think Hiram planned all of this by himself? He realized he needed the support of the military very early on, and when I saw the direction your father was taking my beloved Kalinda, I agreed to help. The First Order will bring Kalinda back to our traditions, back when we were strong, when we didn’t let outsiders influence us,” he sneered at Tochi, “Or marry them.” When Tochi snarled and prepared to lunge, Odoh pulled a gun from his jacket. “Ah, ah, ah. Stand back, if you please. This was all going to go differently, but this will work too. You were supposed to stay gone, Finn. Hell, you were supposed to be dead, but apparently the men we paid to kidnap you had some type of conscience. Couldn’t kill what basically amounted to a mutt. And then you showed up again, and our chance to pull down the current monarchy reopened itself. Brothers.” Odoh waved the gun between them. “So recently reunited, so tragically at odds over who should be king, culminating in a fight on the eve of abdication. Such a tragedy for Kalinda, to lose both of the heirs to the throne.”

Warming up to the story, Hiram took over. “Everyone will agree, of course, that the spawn inside the Queen will not be fit to rule for some time, so a regent must step in.” He spread his hands wide, a twinkle in his eye. “I will, very humbly of course, do so. And any amendment to strip the crown of its powers will die with you.”

“Like, I know the American system is far from perfect, but you have to admit that this is really fucked up,” Finn muttered to Tochi, who managed a grin.

“If I’m remembering my education correctly, electoral college?” Tochi offered with a wink.

“Point.”

“You two are taking this rather well,” Odoh broke in, eyes narrowed.

“Invulnerability of youth?” Tochi said with a shrug.

“Dude, did you just call him old? Nice.”

“Shut up, both of you!” Obviously flustered, Odoh waved his weapon, and Finn decided it would probably be a good idea to comply.

At that moment, Fatima opened the door and walked in. As all heads turned to her, Finn did something that later he’d need meds and yoga to help cope with - he knocked the gun from Odoh’s hand, sending it bouncing across the carpet and under one of the love seats. He saw Fatima raise her own weapon and pulled Tochi to the floor with him. Not in time, apparently, as he felt the sting of a bullet graze the same arm he’d injured in his fall the day before. Adrenaline kept him from feeling it - though he did take a beat to recognize that adrenaline was actually working on his side for once - before he noticed that Odoh and Hiram were using the opportunity of their distraction to scramble up and away from them.

“Deal with them,” Odoh growled.

“Yes, sir.”

Fatima was stepping closer to the couch they were crouched behind, and Finn looked at Tochi desperately - he was all out of ideas. With a nod, and some hand signals, Tochi counted to three on his fingers and they both shoved the couch into Fatima , knocking her over. Finn retrieved her gun, and Tochi grabbed Odoh’s. “Who’s in charge now Fatima? Huh? Who’s in charge now?” Finn was aware that his voice had gotten loud with the adrenaline that was surging through him. 

Beside him, Tochi smiled. “I think she gets it, Finn.” His own gun was drawn on Odoh and Hiram. “I’ll hold them here. I think it’s time for an emergency council meeting. Fatima, take Finn to Poe.” Tochi slipped his phone from his pocket and thumbed it open with one hand. “Oh, would you look at that. A text from my brother, with all of the information you thought you smashed to bits.”

“Yeah, I forwarded it to everyone in Poe’s phone. Hope you guys don’t mind?” His arm was starting to ache, so he switched the gun to his left hand. “Let’s go, Fatima.”

As Finn exited the sitting room, he saw James running up the hallway. “The King is in there, he could use some backup.”

“And you?”

“King’s more important, and he’s in a den of vipers right now. Not sure how long he can keep them from striking.”

With a nod, James pulled his gun and entered the sitting room.

“The First Order will not be taken down this easily,” grumbled Fatima as they walked along.

“Oh, shut up.”

“You’re going to regret sending the King’s bodyguard away.”

Finn resisted the urge to tell her to shut up again as she led them down several sets of stairs. He gulped, immediately putting his back to the wall and dragging Fatima in front of him, when he spied a set of armed guards in white uniforms flanking a closed door. 

He could see Fatima calculating, and he knew he should be doing the same. 

“Exodus,” she muttered, and the armed guards stared at her in disbelief, then stopped pointing their weapons at Finn. To his surprise, they ran up the stairs and away.

“Why-”

She raised her hands, then punched a code into the door the guards had been flanking. She swung it open, and inside, Finn saw Poe lying crumpled on the floor. In his moment of distraction, Fatima grabbed him by his injured arm and flung him into the room, slamming the door behind him. Finn heard the locks snick shut. “Because,  _ your highness _ ,” and Finn could hear the sneer in Fatima’s voice, “It would seem I’m no longer getting paid to kill you. I need time to get away. Time to make a hasty exit, I’d say.”

Finn didn’t know how to respond, but her heels were already clicking down the hallway at a fast clip anyway. He took no time to assess his own damage before scrambling over to Poe’s side, throwing the gun away as he crawled. He reached out to gingerly turn Poe over. “Oh god, Poe.” He was still breathing - miracle of miracles - but his face was covered in blood.

“Finn?” Poe said weakly, confused, then opening his eyes, more alert, “Finn? What the hell are you doing here?”

“Uh, well. I think things are mostly going in our favor but...I may have gotten myself locked in with you.” Finn ripped at the already torn sleeve of his suit on his injured side and started using the fabric to wipe blood from Poe’s face. “Jesus, they really did a number on you in a short amount of time.”

“Fuck, Finn, were you fucking shot?” Poe’s eyes bulged at Finn’s bared arm.

“Uh, I guess.”

“You’re a fucking badass, you know it?”

Finn grinned. “You’re delirious, I think.”

“What I think, your highness, is that we are royally screwed.”

Poe groaned when Finn rubbed too hard at one of his wounds. “That was terrible. You are terrible. I’ll show you royally screwed when we get back to the palace.”

“That a promise?”

“Yes.” Finn cupped Poe’s head in his hands, overwhelmed. “Dammit, Poe, don’t you ever do that again. We’re in this together. None of that self-sacrificing shit.” He brushed his lips gently over Poe’s.

When he leaned back, Poe was grinning at him dopily. “Okay,” he agreed.

Finn kissed him one more time, then leaned back. “Have you had time to explore the room?”

“Roll for perception check.”

“I take that as a no, then.” Finn stood, investigating the door, first. Reinforced by the looks of it. He went over to the window. It wasn’t large, like the windows above, but it was there, at ground level, and if they squeezed, they’d be able to shimmy through it. If they could get it open. “Is there a way to tell if something is bulletproof glass?”

“Well, if- wait, you have a gun?” Poe rolled over, saw the pistol lying on the ground. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me you had a gun?”

“Roll for perception check,” Finn muttered sarcastically. “I had other things on my mind.”

Poe tried to lever himself up, Finn helping when he couldn’t quite make it. “Hand me the gun?” When Finn did, Poe automatically checked it over and cursed. “Finn, you were running around with the safety off? Jesus.”

“I feel like this is an issue we can hash out at a later time.”

“Right.” Taking out the bullets for good measure, Poe palmed the barrel and swung the butt of the gun as hard as he could into the window. The glass cracked promisingly, and when Poe hit it again, it shattered. Poe handed the gun to Finn, and stripped out of his sweat-soaked shirt, wrapping it around his fist to knock off the remaining pieces. He laid the shirt over the broken shards. “Boost me up, then I’ll pull you.”

Finn pulled on Poe’s shoulder so he’d face him. “No self-sacrificing. You better pull me up.”

“No self-sacrificing,” Poe promised, and Finn boosted him up into the window. Poe shimmied gingerly over the broken glass, then disappeared. Finn’s heart leapt into his throat, but a split second later, Poe’s head reappeared. “Okay, give me your hands.”

Between the gunshot and the bruised shoulder, the weight on his injured arm was agony, and he thought he felt the glass scrape over his stomach, but with both of them working, he was through the window and lying on the cool grass. “I know we have to move, but I don’t want to.”

Somehow, they pulled each other up, leaning into each other for support. Poe reloaded the gun, showed Finn the safety - “See?” “Yes, I get it, okay.” - and tucked it into his waistband at the small of his back. 

“Safety better be on, I don’t want anything happening to that ass,” Finn muttered mostly to himself, then blushed when Poe leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“Don’t worry babe, this ass is most thoroughly yours.”

They hobbled together through the garden, making their way back to the party. The atmosphere had changed there; the police had apparently been called, and the council members were all in a huddle around Tochi, except for General Odoh, who was handcuffed to the side, along with Hiram, and several white-uniformed guards. Fatima was nowhere in sight, but that didn’t especially surprise Finn, considering her wiliness.

Given the tense atmosphere, still, a ripple of surprise went through the crowd as Finn and Poe limped into the ballroom. The crowd parted, letting them make their way slowly to the council.

Still leaning into each other for support, Finn nodded at Tochi, who immediately called for a medic. 

“King Emmanuel. Councilpersons. I’m not sure I’m going to be in shape to make it to the abdication tomorrow. I think my boyfriend and I are going to sleep in. Are there enough witnesses for me to just do this now?”

Tochi nodded even as two medics pulled him and Poe apart and started examining them. “Wait, I have to do this.”

Tochi signaled to someone in the crowd, who raised their phone. “It must be recorded,” he said apologetically.

The medic stabbed him with something. “Just a local anesthetic,” she muttered, annoyed at not being able to do her job.

“With the exception of the conspiracy to kidnap, then kill me, I have found Kalinda to be a beautiful, loving place. I could make a home here, I think. But respectfully, King Emmanuel, Councilpersons, I don’t want this fucking job.” Tochi cleared his throat. “Oh, right. I mean, I hereby relinquish all claims and rights to the crown. In abdication, I promise I will never seek the crown’s power in Kalinda. Yada yada yada. Good enough?”

Though the Council looked a little affronted, Tochi nodded. “Very well done, brother.” Stepping closer, he whispered for just Finn, and the medic, to hear, “Don’t think I will forget that you took a bullet for me.”

“Just a graze, really,” Finn replied, blushing. Duty done, the medic was finally able to get him to sit, as long as he could sit by Poe, as they got cleaned up together. Poe’s head wound required stitches, but Finn’s arms really was just a graze, and was cleaned and wrapped in a bandage easily, though the extra strain from being pulled through the window meant he’d be in a sling for a few days. As they waited for the medic to finish Poe’s head, Finn leaned on Poe’s shoulder. 

“You know what I could go for right now?” he said, feeling the same type of tiredness that came after a panic attack assailing him now.

“What’s that, babe?” Poe replied, tucking Finn’s head under his chin.

“Snickerdoodles and milk.”

Poe snorted a little. “Do you think the royal kitchens know how to make snickerdoodles?”

“I bet we could teach them.” Finn yawned.

“I bet we could.”


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know how they say good things come to those who wait? Well, I figured why wait? Ha! Have the last chapter of Prince Finn, complete with Finn and Poe's happily ever after.

The skittering sounds surrounded the party, thousands of tiny feet-

“Bugs  _ again _ , Poe?” Kare threw her popcorn at him.

“Dude, you guys  _ wanted _ to go to the desert planet. Desert planets have bugs. This is just basic science.”

“I want it remembered that I did  _ not _ want to go to the desert planet,” Finn put in loudly.

“What about, like, snakes or something?” Rey complained.

“Roll for initiative.”

Rolling their eyes and their dice, the campaign group figured out fighting order. Finn groaned when he rolled low, and sat back to watch the others play through their fights first. 

Considering how worried he’d been that things would never go back to normal for him, his celebrity status had soon died down back in San Diego. He’d been sad to leave Kalinda and its people behind, but he’d also found that it was easy to stay connected. Tochi often had business in Washington DC, for instance, and would “pop over” to San Diego to visit Finn and Poe. Kalinda had gained a beautiful princess, Emma, at the same time that they’d gained their right to self-governance. When Marie and Emma traveled to the US for an extended stay with Marie’s parents in Texas, Finn and Poe had taken some time off to go visit with them. And Skype, of course, made it easy to connect with his mom.

Tochi’s final act as a real monarch had been to create a task force to root out and destroy the vestiges of the First Order, though they hadn't yet been able to track down the wily Fatima. Poe figured she'd been gone from the country that first night, finding some other patron to sell her skills to. He'd had to go to Langley to talk to some higher ups about it - Finn had been spared questioning from his new status of diplomatic immunity - and had returned to inform Finn and Tochi that the CIA had their own task force for tracking down Fatima. She'd be brought to justice eventually. Finn wasn’t so confident in that, but it was highly unlikely she’d ever bother the Kalindan Royal family again, so he kept his thoughts to himself.

They’d been back in San Diego for barely a month before Finn had asked shyly if Poe wanted to consider getting a place with him. It’d taken them another month to find something perfect for the both of their jobs, but they’d done it. Soon they’d be celebrating eight months of living together, and Finn couldn’t be happier.

In another few months, he’d be going back to Kalinda for three weeks, and taking Poe with him. Ostensibly, the trip was for Finn to check over the Royal books in an audit, then help the accountants fix their routines. He hoped to take care of some other business while he was there, too.

He scooted closer to Poe, sliding an arm around his waist as he waited. Idly he shook the box of Nerds in his hand.

“Sugar me.” Poe held out his hand, then laughed when Finn leaned in to kiss his cheek instead. He turned his head briefly to return the kiss, then began to run Snap through his fight, hand still extended. 

Finn took a deep breath, and shook the contents of the box into Poe’s hand. There, among a few scattered grape Nerds, lay a heavy silver ring.

Poe paused mid-sentence and looked down at his hand. “Finn-”

“Will you marry me, Poe Dameron?”

The campaign group waited in tense silence. 

Poe picked the ring up, brushing the stray Nerds away. He slid it down his ring finger, taking a second, apparently, to admire it, while Finn squirmed impatiently. “So?”

Poe laughed, and grabbed Finn’s face. “Of course it’s a yes, babe.” He crushed their mouths together to the sounds of the cheering from the campaign group. 

With a light knock, Jess entered, a tray of ramekins in her hand. “He said yes, right? Poe, I took the liberty of pilfering some of the vodka. This deserves a celebration!”

Finn broke from Poe’s mouth long enough to let him lift a ramekin in toast and then throw the shot back. Once Poe was done, he immediately crawled into Poe’s lap so he could get closer.

“All right, all right, let’s leave the two lovebirds to it, c’mon guys, show’s over. Well, I mean, the show’s just beginning, but it’s not for us.” Jess shooed the groaning campaign group out as Finn continued to make out with Poe.

Many moments later, Finn eased back, peppering kisses over Poe’s face. “I love you so much.”

“I love you right back.” Poe’s hands massaged into Finn’s thighs. “Want to move this back to our place?”

“Absolutely.” 

They walked through the shop, turning out the lights and locking up, then slipped out the back to take BLK 1 home. When they got out, Finn immediately sought Poe’s hand as they walked up the walkway to their house.

“How do you feel about a Kalindan wedding?”

“Like, an in-three-months Kalindan wedding?”

“Maybe. If you’re up for it. You know my mom isn’t going to let this slide by without her planning the whole thing, whether it’s in California or Kalinda.”

“Think your bro will let us use the family jet to bring our friends over?”

“Please. I took a bullet for him. It’s the least he could do.” Finn punched in the code for their door, then walked inside.

“I don’t think he’s going to let you keep milking that forever.”

“I ended a conspiracy that more than likely would have threatened his daughter?” Finn offered instead.

Poe pulled him back around, pressing him against the front door. “Oh sure, when it comes to me risking my life, it’s all ‘we have to be in this together, Poe’ and ‘no self-sacrificing, Poe.’ But when it comes to claiming credit for ending the conspiracy-”

Finn pulled him over for the kiss, shutting him up - for a little bit anyway.

“Hey,” Poe said when they’d parted, panting. “If I marry you, does that make me a prince too?”

Finn bit his lip, and Poe leaned back in to latch onto it as well. “I don’t actually know,” Finn said with a laugh when Poe had released him. “Does it matter?”

Poe moved on to Finn’s neck, placing sweet kisses there, his tongue darting out to taste. “Mostly I just  _ really _ want to make that ‘royally screwed’ pun again.”

Finn snorted, pulling Poe with him to their bedroom. “I asked for this,” he muttered to himself, then yelped when Poe picked him up and tossed him on their humble full-sized bed. 

“Yup, you did, and no taking it back, either. I’ve already got half the wedding planned in my mind.” Poe pulled at the hem of Finn’s t-shirt - a black one with a skull and crossbones, where the skull was replaced with a D20 that had landed on the 20 side. He moaned at Finn’s chest, chasing the shirt with kisses all the way up, helping Finn pull it over his head and attacking his mouth when it was revealed again. 

“Why do you have so many clothes on still?” Finn whined, pulling at Poe’s work tee, then undoing the zipper and trying to shove Poe’s pants over his hips.

Laughing, Poe pulled back. “Okay, how about you do you, I do me?”

In a scramble, they stripped, then Finn was pulling Poe back into his arms, down on top of him, sliding a leg around his waist. “God, love you,” Poe said between breaths, and Finn moaned. 

Finn reached for the lube on the nightstand as Poe devoured the juncture between his neck and shoulder, marking him there. He pressed the bottle into Poe’s hand and spread his own legs wide. "You sure?" Poe asked, even as he kissed over the scar from Finn's gunshot wound. Finn didn't always enjoy penetrative sex - either way. Something about it seemed...repellent to him. What made him love Poe all the more was that Poe was totally copacetic with the whole thing - honestly Poe would be fine with pretty much any damn thing, even if it was getting himself off while Finn watched - okay, Poe was actually _really_ okay with that scenario, come to think of it. But it made sense that Poe was double checking with him, which only made him want it more.  


Finn brought Poe's lips to his, the kiss hot and desperate. "I am really freaking sure."

Poe grinned as he knelt between Finn's legs, slicking up his fingers, then running one over Finn’s rim, pressing at the muscle there so Finn quivered. He felt the blunt tip push in, felt the stretch as the muscle eased, as he relaxed. For all of about thirty seconds, until Poe’s mouth was over him, taking his cock into it’s wet warmth, and he was pushing another finger inside. Finn groaned, fucking down on Poe’s fingers, fucking up into Poe’s mouth, it was all too good. “Too much, too much,” he panted, and Poe paused, sliding Finn out of his mouth.

“Did I go too fast?” His fingers slipped out of Finn, and Finn made a sad noise.

“No, honey, just too much at once. Love your mouth, but maybe just fingers.”

Poe grinned up at him. “Your wish is my command.” He eased the two fingers back in, adding more lube and a third, scissoring and stretching him out, keeping a watchful eye on his face now.

Finn closed his eyes, letting himself feel everything as Poe brushed over his prostate. Then, his fingers were gone, and Finn heard the sounds of Poe lubing up his cock before the head was placed against his hole and he was being stretched wide.

He opened his eyes and held out his hands, and there Poe was, driving himself in to the hilt as he clung to Finn’s fingers. Finn brought his legs in a circle around Poe’s waist, pulling him closer, bringing Poe that much deeper, and they both sighed with the new position.This was the only way Finn really liked it - with their hands linked, with Poe's eyes on his, so Finn could feel their connection down to his bones.  


Eyes intent on Finn’s, Poe began moving, thrusting in again and again, building his pace. Finn pumped his hips up, loving the feeling of being full of Poe,  _ really _ loving the feeling of Poe’s cock sliding over his prostate repeatedly. Being overwhelmed by how much Poe loved him, how much Poe showed him his love.  

Poe released one of Finn’s hands to stroke his cock, making Finn arch up harder. “Oh, shit, gonna come,” Finn cried, moments before shooting over Poe’s fist and onto his stomach. With a shout above him, Poe thrust in twice more and stilled, the warm feeling of his cum inside Finn adding to the pleasant vibrations still rocking his core.

Poe groaned and rolled to the side, their hands still connected. Sighing, he held up his left hand - still smeared a little with Finn’s cum, which shot off a weird feeling of possessiveness inside Finn that he'd have to analyze later - for both of them to see. He scooted over and kissed Finn on the cheek. “I love it, baby.”

“Oh!” Finn shot up, grabbing one of the discarded shirts to wipe himself off before tossing it to Poe. “I almost forgot.” He dug through his sock drawer, and pulled out a little ring box. “I get to wear mine now!” He was about to slide it on, when Poe’s hand covered his.

“Allow me,” Poe murmured, taking the box from him and sinking to one knee. “Finn Johnson, will you marry me?”

Overcome, Finn didn’t answer immediately.

“Okay, now I know how you felt earlier…”

“Oops. Yes. Yes. Yes, yes, yes.” 

With a grin, Poe slid the ring on, then stood to pull Finn into a kiss. When they parted, Poe rested his forehead on Finn’s. “Shower, then bedtime?”

“Sounds good.”

“What parts of your routine do you need tonight?”

“Just...mmm, maybe something warm to drink. Cocoa would be nice. And I might do some yoga, you know, stretch out after all that exertion.”

“Hmm. Cocoa and watching you do yoga  _ does _ sound like an excellent way to wind down for the night.”

Finn laughed along with Poe as they made their way to the bathroom.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments make the world go 'round. Hey, StarMaple got it in her head to comment on all my fics, and so I wrote her her own 29k fic! Which you're reading! That could be you!
> 
> Kudos are also awesome and appreciated.
> 
> Find me on tumblr @animalasaysrauer, where you will find I am just a big ol' dork.


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